A Fading Figure of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Fights A Dip in Form

The intense attention that has fallen upon one global Liverpool great shifted to another on Anfield's fresh desperate night.

Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his poor form this season - and was placed on the bench for the second successive Premier League game as the Black Cats visited on Wednesday.

But it was leader Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive bedrock as Liverpool have secured the full collection of major trophies, whose poor form came under the microscope during the draw.

The Seasoned Stars and New Deals

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

Indeed, it was a moment of optimism - but now there is no avoiding the brutal reality that performance has dipped alarmingly for both.

Defensive Vulnerabilities and A Costly Refit

Liverpool have been susceptible in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team embarked on a £450m summer rebuild that has yet to prove anything like value for money.

Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has carried since his £75m move 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 fought his own battles, as highlighted by his desperate handball that resulted in a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

An Incident That Summed Up The Problem

It was encapsulated in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before retreating and turning away on a 25-yard shot that hit him and looped 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 conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk provoked with his uncharacteristic failure to take charge, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.

"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just backs 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 was impeccable. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's erring and hesitating."

The Numbers and A Leadership Void

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

He has, though, looked a shadow of his usual imperious self this season, with the lowest recovery numbers per game during his Liverpool career, while defensive actions are also down on last season.

And, while leadership should not be Van Dijk's sole responsibility alone in a Liverpool team brimming with experience, it was absent here. No-one was motivating a team that once again looked bewildered to seize the initiative by the initiative.

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

A Side Without Inspiration

Slot kept faith with the side that halted 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 turned to him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, 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 been turned in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a grandstand finish.

Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only avoided defeat 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.

Praise Deserved and The Road Forward

Slot and his struggling title-holders ultimately had to accept the 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, ponderous and lacking in ideas. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried little conviction. Showings like this are the reason their title defence has collapsed.

But full acknowledgment 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 superb management of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were proactive, assured and a genuine threat.

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.