Florian Wirtz scored his first goal of the season as Liverpool beat Villarreal in the Champions League, and he might quietly have shown himself to be turning a corner

Andoni Iraola had always insisted that he was happy with the direction that Florian Wirtz was heading in. There were no real concerns about him in the long term.

This week, though, it does feel as though he has begun to properly show what he can do in a Liverpool jersey. There has been nothing especially spectacular, but quietly, Wirtz is having an influence — no player, for example, since he arrived at Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen, has created more chances from open play in the Champions League.

Against Villarreal on Wednesday, the German found the back of the net with a good strike when he came on. That finish saw him string together a run of three games in which he has scored or assisted for the first time in his Liverpool career. And following on from good showings versus LASK and Brentford, it represents progress.

"Florian has played three games consecutively very well," Iraola said. "Away at LASK, at Brentford, and today in the second half, he gives us a lot of control. He is a very dynamic player with and without the ball and it is difficult for players to mark him.

"He has played well but maybe not had the numbers, so that doesn’t stand out a great deal, but I was trying to get him for five minutes to talk about the game because what I would say is he is playing very, very well, and I am very happy to have him."

Though he could have been even more involved at the Gtech Community Stadium, it was never going to be a game in which he could easily thrive. What he did was relatively impressive.

And while it remains true that Wirtz's best performances have come against European opposition, that is not necessarily as big an issue as it has been up to now if he can use these showings in the right way.

He looked more than comfortable for the majority of the game against Brentford, for instance, with that game sandwiched by two positive outings in the Champions League, and there will be more big European stages to come.

As Jamie Carragher, who has been among his loudest critics, noted on Monday Night Football this week, Wirtz was perhaps more impressive than it initially felt against Brentford.

"[Wirtz] gets his assist, and the assist is fantastic, not because of the pass, it’s from what comes before it," Carragher detailed.

"What makes this even more special is that lots of players can scan — it’s a big part of the game — but you can scan before the ball is on its way to you?

"What makes this extra special now is the ball is passed, he checks his right shoulder, checks his left shoulder, and the ball is on him, and that first touch... the scanning and the first touch is the assist."

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At LASK and then at home to Villarreal, those are the games in which he should shine; in others, it might be more a case of having to find his moments.

Taking him out of the Liverpool side, though, as Carragher had previously made the case for, never made sense. If nothing else, without Hugo Ekitike, there are not exactly scores of others lining up to replace him.

Wirtz has always divided opinion. For some, he is too lightweight; for others, the talent is clear, and it just needs a platform. As ever, it is a debate that needs nuance but has far from been afforded any.

This week has been a good one for the 23-year-old, however. While the argument can be made that he is yet to show it over a longer period or against stronger opposition, Wirtz appears to be heading on the right path at last.