🔗 Share this article A Shadow of His Imperious Self - Liverpool's Captain Battles Decline The unforgiving spotlight that has been trained on one world-class Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's latest frustrating night. Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his subpar performances this campaign - and was relegated to the bench for the consecutive Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive foundation as Liverpool have secured the array of major prizes, whose struggles came under the microscope during the 1-1 draw. The Experienced Pair and Contract Extensions Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool eyebrow raised at the notion of offering extensions to a experienced stars much closer 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 alarmingly for both. Backline Issues and Summer Spending Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's scouting department began a £450m summer overhaul that has yet to prove anything like value for money. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the air of invincibility he has carried since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that gave away a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. An Incident That Symbolized The Problem It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before retreating and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that struck him and looped out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an curious trait of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost. Misfortune at the conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his atypical failure to take charge, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "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 was impeccable. Every game he was imperious, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself." Performance Metrics and A Lack of Command As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's stature 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 pale imitation of his usual imperious self this season, with the lowest recovery numbers 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 preserve alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was missing here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked lost to take control by the throat. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an makeshift forward, was representative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the norm. A Team Without Spark Slot kept faith with the side that ended a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more starting on the sidelines. The Egyptian came on 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 even more 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. Late drama 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 dribbled past keeper Alisson. Credit Due and Looking Ahead Slot and his struggling title-holders 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 slow, ponderous and short on invention. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried scant belief. Performances like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has fallen apart. But full acknowledgment for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were adventurous, self-believing and threatening. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have grown into 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 time for reflection.
The unforgiving spotlight that has been trained on one world-class Liverpool great turned to another on Anfield's latest frustrating night. Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his subpar performances this campaign - and was relegated to the bench for the consecutive Premier League game as the Black Cats came to town on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive foundation as Liverpool have secured the array of major prizes, whose struggles came under the microscope during the 1-1 draw. The Experienced Pair and Contract Extensions Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both signed high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool eyebrow raised at the notion of offering extensions to a experienced stars much closer 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 alarmingly for both. Backline Issues and Summer Spending Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's scouting department began a £450m summer overhaul that has yet to prove anything like value for money. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to forfeit the air of invincibility he has carried since his £75m switch from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has received little support by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that gave away a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. An Incident That Symbolized The Problem It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before retreating and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that struck him and looped out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an curious trait of turning away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost. Misfortune at the conclusion, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his atypical failure to take charge, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "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 was impeccable. Every game he was imperious, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself." Performance Metrics and A Lack of Command As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's stature 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 pale imitation of his usual imperious self this season, with the lowest recovery numbers 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 preserve alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was missing here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked lost to take control by the throat. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an makeshift forward, was representative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the norm. A Team Without Spark Slot kept faith with the side that ended a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more starting on the sidelines. The Egyptian came on 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 even more 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. Late drama 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 dribbled past keeper Alisson. Credit Due and Looking Ahead Slot and his struggling title-holders 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 slow, ponderous and short on invention. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried scant belief. Performances like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has fallen apart. But full acknowledgment for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being reaping the benefits for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were adventurous, self-believing and threatening. Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is symptomatic of the manner in which they have grown into 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 time for reflection.