Wirtz has a single assist and no goals in his first 3 games for the Reds and on paper it has been a poor start for the German international who arrived at the club last season for £116M last season.
The midfielder has been backed by Steven Gerrard and Jamie Redknapp over the past week and ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Fulham on Saturday afternoon, Iraola jumped to Wirtz’s defense.
Iraola was adamant that Wirtz’s performances shouldn’t be analysed through goal contributions and instead fans should recognise what he offers the side in the middle of the park.
"He played very well against Atletico Madrid. He helped us a lot, also he was very good on the ball and overall I was very happy with his performance.
"The game against Ipswich in the second half he lost more balls than normal but overall I have been very happy with his performances.
"He is a good player out of possession who helps us in our press. But he runs the same as the 10 of Arsenal, the 10 of (Manchester) City, the 10 of Fulham and more or less his stats are very similar to the number 10s other teams have.”
He continued: "But that (his disallowed goal vs Nottingham Forest) is why you cannot just play because of the numbers. Whether a striker scores a lot of goals or he doesn’t score a lot of goals, you have to look at the performances. Does he help us to play well? Yes.
"Well, someone will score the goals and someone will give the assists. It is not that because you had the last touch, you played better than the other person.
"I am not too focused about numbers. Nowadays everything is about numbers, everyone tells players you have to assist, you have to score goals. For me, you have to help us play well. Someone will score the goals if we are doing well collectively."
Supporters will be eager to see what Wirtz can offer against Fulham at Anfield on Saturday afternoon. Although he may not grab a goal contribution, the 23 year old should impress once more as The Reds chase a crucial 3 points.