🔗 Share this article A Shadow of His Dominant Stature - Van Dijk Grapples With Decline The unforgiving spotlight that has fallen upon one world-class 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 consigned to the sidelines for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the complete set 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 signed high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool eyebrow raised at the idea of offering extensions to a seasoned pair much closer to the end of their careers than the start. In fact, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no escaping the harsh truth that performance has dipped worryingly for both. A Leaky Defense and Summer Spending Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team embarked on a £450m summer overhaul that has not yet shown anything like a good return. At the same time, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has held since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has not been helped by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his rash handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. An Incident That Symbolized The Issue It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited 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 undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an curious trait of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost. Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his atypical failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "Van Dijk surrenders possession 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 commanding, but right now he's slipping up and second-guessing himself." Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's stature must not be dismissed after claiming two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar Liverpool career. He has, though, looked a pale imitation of his usual dominant persona this season, with the poest ball recovery rate 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 absent here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked clueless to seize the initiative by the initiative. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the emergency option of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was indicative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the exception rather than the norm. A Team 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 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 getting off the mark with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday. Slot would have been under increased scrutiny had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending. Stoppage-time tension 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 Looking Ahead Slot and his fading champions ultimately had to take a point 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 lethargic, ponderous and lacking in ideas. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Showings like this are the reason their title defence has crumbled. But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, 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 disappointed they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally. For Slot and Liverpool, it is time for reflection.
The unforgiving spotlight that has fallen upon one world-class 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 consigned to the sidelines for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland visited on Wednesday. But it was skipper Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive bedrock as Liverpool have collected the complete set 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 signed high-value two-year deals in the summer, with not one Liverpool eyebrow raised at the idea of offering extensions to a seasoned pair much closer to the end of their careers than the start. In fact, it was a reason for joy - but now there is no escaping the harsh truth that performance has dipped worryingly for both. A Leaky Defense and Summer Spending Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since head coach Arne Slot and the club's recruitment team embarked on a £450m summer overhaul that has not yet shown anything like a good return. At the same time, Van Dijk has started to lose the aura of invulnerability he has held since his £75m move from Southampton in January 2018. Van Dijk has not been helped by fellow defender Ibrahima Konate's collapse in form, along with Milos Kerkez struggling to adapt at left-back. But the great Dutchman has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his rash handball that conceded a penalty in the heavy Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield. An Incident That Symbolized The Issue It was exemplified in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a merited 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 undoubted greatness, Van Dijk has an curious trait of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's cost. Bad luck at the end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his atypical failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment. "Van Dijk surrenders possession 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 commanding, but right now he's slipping up and second-guessing himself." Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's stature must not be dismissed after claiming two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar Liverpool career. He has, though, looked a pale imitation of his usual dominant persona this season, with the poest ball recovery rate 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 absent here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked clueless to seize the initiative by the initiative. Van Dijk's subpar showing, which ended with him being used as the emergency option of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was indicative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the exception rather than the norm. A Team 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 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 getting off the mark with his first league goal for Liverpool on Sunday. Slot would have been under increased scrutiny had Florian Wirtz's 81st-minute shot not taken a deflection off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a dramatic ending. Stoppage-time tension 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 Looking Ahead Slot and his fading champions ultimately had to take a point 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 lethargic, ponderous and lacking in ideas. Even the customary late surge after the equaliser carried minimal threat. Showings like this are the reason their title defence has crumbled. But huge credit for the Reds' struggles on Wednesday must be given to Sunderland, who are being seeing the results for a summer of clear intent in the transfer market, coupled with the superb management of Regis le Bris. The Black Cats were positive, 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 disappointed they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally. For Slot and Liverpool, it is time for reflection.