A Diminished Presence of His Imperious Self - Liverpool's Captain Battles A Dip in Form

The glaring focus that has been trained on one elite Liverpool great switched to another on Anfield's latest desperate night.

Mohamed Salah has come under fire for his subpar performances this season - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the consecutive Premier League game as the Black Cats arrived on Wednesday.

But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive bedrock as Liverpool have swept up the complete set of top honors, whose struggles came under the microscope during the draw.

The Experienced Pair and Renewed Terms

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with scarcely a Liverpool question asked at the notion of offering extensions to a veteran duo much approaching the end of their careers than the start.

In fact, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no denying the brutal reality that performance has dipped worryingly for both.

Backline Issues and A Costly Refit

Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department began a £450m summer overhaul that has yet to prove anything like its worth.

At the same time, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability he has possessed since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018.

Van Dijk has received little support by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the renowned star has also struggled badly, as proved by his panic-stricken handball that gave away a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Moment That Summed Up The Struggle

It was encapsulated in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before retreating and turning away on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and looped out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage.

Misfortune at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his atypical failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.

"Van Dijk surrenders possession and then he just retreats. It's the mistake. He needs to go to the ball. Him not making the decision means that no one else knows what to do."

"Virgil Van Dijk last season was faultless. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's slipping up and second-guessing himself."

The Numbers and Missing Leadership

As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's caliber must not be dismissed after securing two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a illustrious Liverpool career.

He has, though, looked a pale imitation of his usual dominant persona this season, with the poest ball recovery rate per game during his Liverpool career, while tackles and interceptions are also down on last season.

And, while leadership should not be Van Dijk's preserve alone in a Liverpool team full of experience, it was lacking here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked clueless to grab the game by the initiative.

Van Dijk's difficult night, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an emergency striker, was indicative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the rule.

A Team Devoid of Inspiration

Slot kept faith with the side that ended a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more starting on the sidelines.

The Egyptian was introduced at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also ineffective after getting off the mark with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday.

Slot would have been under even more pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not deflected in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending.

Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's superb tracking back allowed him to turn Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor's shot off the line after he had rounded keeper Alisson.

Praise Deserved and The Road Forward

Slot and his fading champions ultimately had to take a point knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson fortunate to turn Trai Hume's shot onto the bar in the first half before Omar Alderete headed against the post after the interval.

Liverpool were slow, ponderous and devoid of creativity. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried little conviction. Displays like this are the reason their defense of their crown has crumbled.

But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of notable ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the excellent coaching of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were proactive, self-believing and dangerous.

Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is telling of the manner in which they have adapted to life in the Premier League that they will be disappointed they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally.

For Slot and Liverpool, it is back to the drawing board.