A Shadow of His Imperious Self - Van Dijk Grapples With A Dip in Form
The unforgiving focus that has centered around one elite Liverpool icon turned to another on Anfield's fresh desperate night.
Mohamed Salah has been under scrutiny for his poor form this campaign - and was relegated to the sidelines for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland arrived on Wednesday.
But it was captain Virgil van Dijk, a unmatched defensive bedrock as Liverpool have swept up the full collection of major prizes, whose dip in performance came under the microscope during the stalemate.
The Veteran Duo and New Deals
Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool eyebrow raised at the prospect of handing contracts 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 denying the harsh truth that standards have dropped worryingly for both.
Backline Issues and A Major Overhaul
Liverpool have been vulnerable in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's transfer committee undertook a £450m summer rebuild that has not yet shown anything like value for money.
Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to lose the sense of being untouchable he has carried since his £75m transfer from Southampton in January 2018.
Van Dijk has received little support by center-back colleague Ibrahima Konate's loss of form, along with Milos Kerkez failing to settle at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also fought his own battles, as highlighted by his rash handball that gave away a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.
A Sequence That Symbolized The Struggle
It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk surrendering the ball before retreating and averting his body on a 25-yard shot that hit him and looped 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 end, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk invited with his unusual failure to make a decisive move, Sunderland's Talbi capitalising.
"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 was faultless. Every game he was commanding, but right now he's making mistakes and second-guessing himself."
The Numbers and Missing Leadership
As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be dismissed after winning two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a stellar Liverpool career.
He has, though, looked a faded version of his usual imperious self this season, with the worst recoveries 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 absent here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked bewildered to grab the game 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 symptomatic of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the outlier rather than the norm.
A Side Devoid of Inspiration
Slot stayed 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 emerged at the start of the second half as the Kop turned to him for inspiration. It failed to materialize, with £125m Alexander Isak also ineffective 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 deflected in off Nordi Mukiele to set up what Liverpool hoped would be a thrilling finale.
Late drama came - but at the other end. Liverpool were only saved from humiliation in stoppage time when Federico Chiesa's outstanding recovery run allowed him to turn Sunderland substitute Wilson Isidor's shot off the line after he had dribbled past keeper Alisson.
Praise Deserved and Looking Ahead
Slot and his underperforming defending 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 sluggish, ponderous and lacking in ideas. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried little conviction. Displays like this are the reason their attempt to retain the title has fallen apart.
But significant praise 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 excellent coaching of Regis le Bris.
The Black Cats were positive, assured and threatening.
Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is indicative of the manner in which they have adapted to 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 back to the drawing board.