A Shadow of His Commanding Persona - Liverpool's Captain Fights Decline
The glaring attention that has been trained on one elite Liverpool icon shifted to another on Anfield's fresh disappointing night.
The Egyptian forward has come under fire for his poor form this campaign - and was placed on the sidelines for the second straight Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday.
But it was leader Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive bedrock as Liverpool have secured the array of major trophies, whose dip in performance took center stage during the stalemate.
The Seasoned Stars and New Deals
Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both inked new lucrative two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool question asked at the idea of securing the futures to a experienced stars much closer to the end of their careers than the start.
In fact, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no avoiding the stark fact that performance has dipped worryingly for both.
A Leaky Defense and A Major Overhaul
Liverpool have been exposed in defence ever since manager Arne Slot and the club's scouting department began a £450m summer rebuild that has not yet shown anything like value for money.
Concurrently, Van Dijk has started to lose the air of invincibility he has possessed since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018.
Van Dijk has not been helped by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the renowned star has also struggled badly, as highlighted by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the significant Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.
A Sequence That Summed Up The Problem
It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk losing possession before retreating and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and floated out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.
For a defender of such undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an peculiar tendency of turning his back on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's disadvantage.
Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his atypical failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi taking advantage.
"Van Dijk gives the ball away and then he just retreats. It's the mistake. 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 faultless. Every game he was dominant, but right now he's making mistakes and second-guessing himself."
Performance Metrics and A Lack of Command
As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be discarded after claiming two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a illustrious Liverpool career.
He has, though, looked a faded version of his usual commanding presence 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 full of experience, it was missing here. No-one was rousing a team that once again looked lost to take control by the scruff of the neck.
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 distinctly poor Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the rule.
A Side Lacking Inspiration
Slot kept faith 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 came on at the start of the second half as the Kop looked to him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also anonymous after getting off the mark 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 deflected 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 beaten keeper Alisson.
Credit Due 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 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 slow, labored and devoid of creativity. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Performances like this are the reason their defense of their crown has collapsed.
But significant praise for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being rewarded for a summer of serious ambition in the transfer market, coupled with the fine work of Regis le Bris.
The Black Cats were proactive, 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 adapted to 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 a case of going back to basics.
