🔗 Share this article A Shadow of His Imperious Self - Van Dijk Battles Waning Influence The unforgiving spotlight that has been trained on one global Liverpool icon turned to another on Anfield's most recent desperate night. The Egyptian forward has faced examination for his struggles this campaign - and was relegated to the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats arrived on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive bedrock as Liverpool have swept up the full collection of major trophies, whose struggles became the focus during the stalemate. The Veteran Duo and Contract Extensions Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool concern voiced at the prospect of securing the futures to a seasoned pair much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Truly, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no escaping the brutal reality that standards have dropped concerningly for both. A Leaky Defense and A Costly Refit Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee began a £450m summer refit that has still to demonstrate anything like a good return. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability he has held since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has not been helped by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his panic-stricken handball that gave away a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Sequence That Summed Up The Struggle It was encapsulated in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before retreating and turning away on a 25-yard shot that struck him and floated out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an curious trait of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage. Bad luck at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his uncharacteristic failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage. "Van Dijk gives the ball away 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 was impeccable. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself." Statistical Decline and A Lack of Command 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 shadow of his usual dominant persona 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 exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked bewildered to grab the game by the throat. Van Dijk's difficult night, which ended with him being used as the emergency option of acting as an emergency striker, was representative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the rule. Liverpool Devoid of Spark Slot persisted with the side that stopped 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 pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, 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 taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale. Stoppage-time tension 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 The Road Forward Slot and his underperforming defending champions 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, labored and lacking in ideas. 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 full acknowledgment for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of serious ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, self-believing and threatening. 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.
The unforgiving spotlight that has been trained on one global Liverpool icon turned to another on Anfield's most recent desperate night. The Egyptian forward has faced examination for his struggles this campaign - and was relegated to the substitutes' bench for the second straight Premier League game as the Black Cats arrived on Wednesday. But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive bedrock as Liverpool have swept up the full collection of major trophies, whose struggles became the focus during the stalemate. The Veteran Duo and Contract Extensions Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool concern voiced at the prospect of securing the futures to a seasoned pair much closer to the end of their careers than the start. Truly, it was a cause of celebration - but now there is no escaping the brutal reality that standards have dropped concerningly for both. A Leaky Defense and A Costly Refit Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee began a £450m summer refit that has still to demonstrate anything like a good return. Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to shed the aura of invulnerability he has held since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has not been helped by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's dramatic dip, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his panic-stricken handball that gave away a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. A Sequence That Summed Up The Struggle It was encapsulated in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a well-earned lead, Van Dijk giving the ball away before retreating and turning away on a 25-yard shot that struck him and floated out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson. For a defender of such unquestionable quality, Van Dijk has an curious trait of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage. Bad luck at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his uncharacteristic failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage. "Van Dijk gives the ball away 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 was impeccable. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself." Statistical Decline and A Lack of Command 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 shadow of his usual dominant persona 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 exclusive domain alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked bewildered to grab the game by the throat. Van Dijk's difficult night, which ended with him being used as the emergency option of acting as an emergency striker, was representative of a distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the rule. Liverpool Devoid of Spark Slot persisted with the side that stopped 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 pinned hopes on him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, 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 taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale. Stoppage-time tension 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 The Road Forward Slot and his underperforming defending champions 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, labored and lacking in ideas. 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 full acknowledgment for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of serious ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, self-believing and threatening. 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.