A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Grapples With Waning Influence

The intense focus that has been trained on one elite Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's fresh desperate night.

The Egyptian forward has been under scrutiny for his subpar performances this season - and was consigned to the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday.

But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive foundation as Liverpool have swept up the full collection of top honors, whose poor form took center stage during the draw.

The Experienced Pair and New Deals

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool concern voiced at the prospect of securing the futures to a veteran duo much nearer to the end of their careers than the start.

Indeed, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no denying the harsh truth that standards have dropped alarmingly for both.

Defensive Vulnerabilities and Summer Spending

Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee began a £450m summer rebuild that has yet to prove anything like value for money.

Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the air of invincibility he has carried since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018.

Van Dijk has not been helped by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also struggled badly, as highlighted by his desperate handball that conceded a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

An Incident That Symbolized The Problem

It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before retreating and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that hit him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.

For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an curious trait of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage.

Bad luck at the conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk provoked with his atypical failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.

"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just drops off. It's the wrong decision. 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 couldn't make a mistake. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's erring and hesitating."

Statistical Decline and Missing Leadership

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

He has, though, looked a shadow of his usual commanding presence this season, with the poest ball recovery rate per game during his Liverpool career, while key defensive stats are also down on last season.

And, while leadership should not be Van Dijk's exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked bewildered to grab the game by the scruff of the neck.

Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the last resort of acting as an emergency striker, was symptomatic of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the rule.

A Team Without Spark

Slot stayed with the side that halted a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more watching from the sidelines.

The Egyptian emerged at the start of the second half as the Kop looked to him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after opening his account with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday.

Slot would have been under greater pressure had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale.

Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's outstanding recovery run 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 settle for a draw knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson blessed 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 lacking in ideas. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried little conviction. Displays like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has crumbled.

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

The Black Cats were positive, confident and threatening.

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

For Slot and Liverpool, it is a case of going back to basics.