A Shadow of His Dominant Stature - Liverpool's Captain Fights Waning Influence

The intense spotlight that has been trained on one global Liverpool icon turned to another on Anfield's fresh frustrating night.

The Egyptian forward has come under fire for his poor form this season - and was placed on the bench for the second successive Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday.

But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive rock as Liverpool have swept up the full collection of major prizes, whose poor form took center stage during the draw.

The Veteran Duo and Contract Extensions

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with scarcely a Liverpool concern voiced at the notion of offering extensions to a seasoned pair much nearer to the end of their careers than the start.

Truly, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no denying the brutal reality that performance has dipped concerningly for both.

Backline Issues and A Major Overhaul

Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team began a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like value for money.

Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to shed the sense of being untouchable he has possessed since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018.

Van Dijk has received little support by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also fought his own battles, as proved by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

An Incident That Summed Up The Issue

It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk losing possession before standing off 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 peculiar tendency of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment.

Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his uncharacteristic failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage.

"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just backs off. 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 impeccable. Every game he was commanding, but right now he's erring and doubting himself."

Performance Metrics and A Lack of Command

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

He has, though, looked a faded version of his usual dominant persona this season, with the worst recoveries per game during his Liverpool career, while defensive actions are also down on last season.

And, while leadership should not be Van Dijk's exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team full of experience, it was absent here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked lost to seize the initiative by the initiative.

Van Dijk's difficult night, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was representative of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the exception rather than the standard.

A Side Devoid of Spark

Slot persisted with the side that ended a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more observing from the sidelines.

The Egyptian came on at the start of the second half as the Kop looked to him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after opening his account 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 been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a grandstand finish.

Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only spared embarrassment 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.

Credit Due and Looking Ahead

Slot and his fading champions ultimately had to settle for a draw 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 sluggish, labored and short on invention. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried scant belief. Showings like this are the reason their defense of their crown has collapsed.

But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of serious ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were positive, assured and dangerous.

Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is telling of the manner in which they have embraced 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 back to the drawing board.