🔗 Share this article A Diminished Presence of His Dominant Stature - Van Dijk Fights Waning Influence The glaring spotlight that has fallen upon one global Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's most recent desperate night. The Egyptian forward has faced examination for his struggles this campaign - and was placed on the bench for the second successive Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the full collection of major prizes, whose struggles took center stage during the draw. The Veteran Duo and Renewed Terms Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool question asked at the notion of securing the futures 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 avoiding the brutal reality that standards have dropped concerningly for both. Defensive Vulnerabilities and Summer Spending Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team began a £450m summer rebuild that has not yet shown anything like a good return. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability he has held since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the renowned star has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his panic-stricken handball that resulted in a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Moment That Encapsulated The Issue It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before retreating and turning away on a 25-yard shot that hit him and drifted 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 detriment. Bad luck at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his unusual failure to take charge, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage. "Van Dijk surrenders possession 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 making mistakes and second-guessing himself." Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be written off after winning 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 commanding presence 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 exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked bewildered to grab the game by the throat. Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure 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 Devoid of 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 was introduced at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also ineffective 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 been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending. A late scare 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 beaten keeper Alisson. Credit Due and The Road Forward Slot and his underperforming defending champions ultimately had to take a point knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson lucky 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 little conviction. Showings like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has fallen apart. But significant praise 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 time for reflection.
The glaring spotlight that has fallen upon one global Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's most recent desperate night. The Egyptian forward has faced examination for his struggles this campaign - and was placed on the bench for the second successive Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the full collection of major prizes, whose struggles took center stage during the draw. The Veteran Duo and Renewed Terms Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool question asked at the notion of securing the futures 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 avoiding the brutal reality that standards have dropped concerningly for both. Defensive Vulnerabilities and Summer Spending Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team began a £450m summer rebuild that has not yet shown anything like a good return. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability he has held since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez not finding his feet at left-back. But the renowned star has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his panic-stricken handball that resulted in a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Moment That Encapsulated The Issue It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before retreating and turning away on a 25-yard shot that hit him and drifted 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 detriment. Bad luck at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his unusual failure to take charge, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage. "Van Dijk surrenders possession 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 making mistakes and second-guessing himself." Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be written off after winning 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 commanding presence 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 exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked bewildered to grab the game by the throat. Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure 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 Devoid of 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 was introduced at the start of the second half as the Kop pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It was not forthcoming, with £125m Alexander Isak also ineffective 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 been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending. A late scare 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 beaten keeper Alisson. Credit Due and The Road Forward Slot and his underperforming defending champions ultimately had to take a point knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson lucky 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 little conviction. Showings like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has fallen apart. But significant praise 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 time for reflection.