A Diminished Presence of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Fights A Dip in Form

The glaring attention that has been trained on one elite Liverpool great shifted to another on Anfield's fresh frustrating night.

The Egyptian forward has come under fire for his struggles this campaign - and was placed on the bench for the consecutive Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday.

But it was leader Virgil van Dijk, a peerless defensive foundation as Liverpool have collected the complete set of top honors, whose dip in performance became the focus during the draw.

The Experienced Pair and Renewed Terms

Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the idea 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 escaping the brutal reality that levels have fallen worryingly for both.

Backline Issues and A Costly Refit

Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team embarked on a £450m summer rebuild that has yet to prove anything like its worth.

Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the sense of being untouchable he has possessed since his £75m move 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 failing to settle at left-back. But the renowned star has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his desperate handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.

A Sequence That Symbolized The Problem

It was captured 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 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 curious trait of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment.

Ill fortune at the conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his atypical failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment.

"Van Dijk loses the ball and then he just retreats. It's the incorrect choice. 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 doubting himself."

The Numbers and Missing Leadership

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

He has, though, looked a pale imitation of his usual commanding presence this season, with the worst recoveries 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 sole responsibility alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was rousing 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 desperate measure of acting as an makeshift forward, was symptomatic of a deeply underwhelming Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the norm.

A Team Lacking Ideas

Slot stayed with the side that halted a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more watching from 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 anonymous 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 saved from humiliation 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 underperforming defending 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 slow, labored and lacking in ideas. Even the typical final push after the equaliser carried little conviction. Performances like this are the reason their defense of their crown has collapsed.

But full acknowledgment for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being rewarded for a summer of notable ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the excellent coaching of Regis le Bris.

The Black Cats were adventurous, self-believing 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 disappointed they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally.

For Slot and Liverpool, it is back to the drawing board.