A Diminished Presence of His Imperious Self - Liverpool's Captain Grapples With Decline
The glaring attention that has been trained on one global Liverpool icon shifted to another on Anfield's latest frustrating night.
The Egyptian forward has come under fire for his poor form this season - and was placed on the substitutes' bench for the consecutive Premier League game as Sunderland came to town on Wednesday.
But it was leader Virgil van Dijk, a exceptional defensive foundation as Liverpool have secured the full collection of major trophies, whose dip in performance became the focus during the draw.
The Seasoned Stars and New Deals
Van Dijk, 34, and Salah, 33, both agreed to high-value two-year deals in the summer, with barely a Liverpool concern voiced at the notion of handing contracts to a veteran duo 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 stark fact that standards have dropped worryingly for both.
Defensive Vulnerabilities and A Costly Refit
Liverpool have been susceptible in defence ever since boss Arne Slot and the club's scouting department embarked on a £450m summer refit that has not yet shown anything like its worth.
Simultaneously, Van Dijk has started to shed the air of invincibility he has held since his £75m switch 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 struggling to adapt at left-back. But the esteemed defender has also struggled badly, as demonstrated by his panic-stricken handball that conceded a penalty in the heavyweight Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven at Anfield.
A Sequence That Symbolized The Problem
It was captured in the 67th minute on Wednesday when Chemsdine Talbi gave Sunderland a deserved lead, Van Dijk losing possession before backing away and turning his back on a 25-yard shot that deflected off him and floated out of the reach of goalkeeper Alisson.
For a defender of such proven caliber, Van Dijk has an unusual habit of shying away on the ball, sometimes to Liverpool's detriment.
Bad luck at the finale, yes, but it was a situation Van Dijk courted with his unusual failure to act decisively, Sunderland's Talbi seizing the moment.
"Van Dijk gives the ball away and then he just drops off. 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 commanding, but right now he's making mistakes and doubting himself."
Performance Metrics and A Leadership Void
As with Salah, a player of Van Dijk's pedigree must not be discarded after securing two Premier Leagues, the Champions League, the FA Cup and two EFL Cups in a illustrious Liverpool career.
He has, though, looked a shadow of his usual dominant persona this season, with the lowest recovery numbers 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 preserve alone in a Liverpool team packed with experience, it was lacking here. No-one was inspiring a team that once again looked clueless to seize the initiative by the initiative.
Van Dijk's poor display, which ended with him being used as the desperate measure of acting as an last-ditch attacker, was representative of a horribly mediocre Liverpool performance - which made Sunday's win at West Ham seem like the anomaly rather than the standard.
Liverpool Lacking Inspiration
Slot persisted with the side that halted a run of nine losses in 12 games at London Stadium, Salah once more observing from the sidelines.
The Egyptian was introduced at the start of the second half as the Kop looked to him for inspiration. It never came, with £125m Alexander Isak also ineffective 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 taken a deflection 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 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 rounded keeper Alisson.
Praise Deserved and The Road Forward
Slot and his struggling title-holders ultimately had to settle for a draw knowing it could have been worse, with Alisson fortunate 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, unimaginative and lacking in ideas. Even the traditional late rally after the equaliser carried little conviction. 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 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 adventurous, confident and threatening.
Sunderland are now sixth in the Premier League with 23 points. It is indicative of the manner in which they have embraced life in the Premier League that they will be frustrated they left Anfield without adding two more to their tally.
For Slot and Liverpool, it is a case of going back to basics.
