🔗 Share this article A Diminished Presence of His Imperious Self - Van Dijk Battles Decline The intense attention that has centered around one elite Liverpool icon switched to another on Anfield's latest disappointing night. Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his poor form this season - and was relegated to the sidelines for the second successive Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive foundation as Liverpool have secured the full collection of top honors, whose poor form became the focus during the 1-1 draw. The Seasoned Stars and Renewed Terms Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with scarcely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the notion of handing contracts to a experienced stars much nearer to the end of their careers than the start. Truly, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no escaping the stark fact that standards have dropped concerningly for both. A Leaky Defense and Summer Spending Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department embarked on a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like value for money. At the same time, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the sense of being untouchable he has carried since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by defensive partner Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also struggled badly, as highlighted by his rash handball that gave away a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. An Incident That Encapsulated The Struggle It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before backing away and turning his back on a 25-yard shot that struck him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an unusual habit of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage. Bad luck at the conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his unusual failure to take charge, 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 commanding, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself." The Numbers and Missing Leadership 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 stellar Liverpool career. He has, though, looked a pale imitation of his usual dominant persona this season, with the worst recoveries 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 brimming with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked bewildered to take control by the initiative. Van Dijk's poor display, 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 standard. Liverpool Devoid of Spark Slot kept faith with the side that ended a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more watching from the sidelines. The Egyptian came on at the start of the second half as the Kop looked 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 increased scrutiny 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. Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's excellent defensive sprint allowed him to turn Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor's shot off the line after he had beaten keeper Alisson. Praise Deserved and The Road Forward Slot and his struggling title-holders 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 lethargic, ponderous and short on invention. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Performances like this are the reason their title defence has collapsed. But huge credit 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 fine work of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, confident and dangerous. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have adapted to 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 back to the drawing board.
The intense attention that has centered around one elite Liverpool icon switched to another on Anfield's latest disappointing night. Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his poor form this season - and was relegated to the sidelines for the second successive Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive foundation as Liverpool have secured the full collection of top honors, whose poor form became the focus during the 1-1 draw. The Seasoned Stars and Renewed Terms Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with scarcely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the notion of handing contracts to a experienced stars much nearer to the end of their careers than the start. Truly, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no escaping the stark fact that standards have dropped concerningly for both. A Leaky Defense and Summer Spending Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department embarked on a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like value for money. At the same time, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the sense of being untouchable he has carried since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by defensive partner Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also struggled badly, as highlighted by his rash handball that gave away a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. An Incident That Encapsulated The Struggle It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before backing away and turning his back on a 25-yard shot that struck him and drifted out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an unusual habit of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage. Bad luck at the conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his unusual failure to take charge, 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 commanding, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself." The Numbers and Missing Leadership 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 stellar Liverpool career. He has, though, looked a pale imitation of his usual dominant persona this season, with the worst recoveries 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 brimming with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked bewildered to take control by the initiative. Van Dijk's poor display, 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 standard. Liverpool Devoid of Spark Slot kept faith with the side that ended a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more watching from the sidelines. The Egyptian came on at the start of the second half as the Kop looked 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 increased scrutiny 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. Stoppage-time tension came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's excellent defensive sprint allowed him to turn Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor's shot off the line after he had beaten keeper Alisson. Praise Deserved and The Road Forward Slot and his struggling title-holders 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 lethargic, ponderous and short on invention. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Performances like this are the reason their title defence has collapsed. But huge credit 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 fine work of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, confident and dangerous. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have adapted to 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 back to the drawing board.