A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Van Dijk Battles Waning Influence
The intense attention that has fallen upon one world-class Liverpool icon turned to another on Anfield's most recent desperate night.
Mohamed Salah has come under fire for his subpar performances this season - and was relegated to the sidelines for the consecutive Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday.
But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive rock as Liverpool have collected the complete set of top honors, whose dip in performance became the focus during the stalemate.
The Seasoned Stars and New Deals
Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to lucrative new two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool eyebrow raised at the idea of offering extensions to a veteran duo much nearer to the end of their careers than the start.
Truly, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no denying the stark fact that standards have dropped alarmingly for both.
A Leaky Defense and A Major Overhaul
Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team embarked on a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like a good return.
Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to shed the air of invincibility he has carried since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018.
Van Dijk has faced additional challenges by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also fought his own battles, as demonstrated by his desperate handball that resulted in 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 deserved lead, Van Dijk losing possession before retreating and averting his body 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 turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage.
Bad luck at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his uncharacteristic failure to take charge, 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 couldn't make a mistake. Every game he was commanding, but right now he's erring and second-guessing himself."
The Numbers and A Lack of Command
As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree 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 shadow of his usual dominant persona 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 brimming with experience, it was absent here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked clueless to seize the initiative by the initiative.
Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was indicative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the rule.
A Side Without Spark
Slot kept faith with the side that halted a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more starting on the sidelines.
The Egyptian emerged at the start of the second half as the Kop turned to him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also quiet after scoring his first 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 grandstand finish.
A late scare 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.
Credit Due and Looking Ahead
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, unimaginative and lacking in ideas. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Performances like this are the reason their defense of their crown has crumbled.
But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris.
The Black Cats were proactive, confident and dangerous.
Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have embraced life in the Premier League that they will be frustrated they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally.
For Slot and Liverpool, it is a case of going back to basics.