Xabi Alonso and Florian Wirtz worked together at Bayer Leverkusen, and the pair will reunite in Liverpool this week with Andoni Iraola's side set to host Chelsea

Xabi Alonso says Florian Wirtz is a key reason for his success as a manager so far, with the ex-Liverpool midfielder set to return to Anfield with Chelsea this midweek.

Winning the title in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, Wirtz played under Alonso before opting to move to the Premier League in the same summer that the Spaniard joined Real Madrid. They will reunite on Merseyside in the Carabao Cup, with Andoni Iraola expecting to have his playmaker available for selection.

"I can only speak about my time with Flo in Bayer Leverkusen, and for sure one of the main reasons for me being here is the time that I spent with him," Alonso said, via Football.London.

"He was a special player and he helped me so much. I learned so much from him. Now that he's in Liverpool, I'm following him. We know that the next step is always an interesting one and he's getting there."

Wirtz struggled at times in his first season at Liverpool, but the last few weeks have seen an upturn in his form. Last weekend, he was unfortunate not to be credited with the opening goal against Brighton, when he was subbed in the second half with an ankle knock.

"He was quite fine, I think, Florian, and I'm quite optimistic he will be available," Iraola said in his press conference ahead of facing Chelsea. Dominik Szoboszlai and Victor Munoz are more doubtful.

Earlier this week, Reds legend Steven Gerrard offered his verdict on Wirtz, who has been criticized heavily at times.

Speaking on The Overlap Daily, sponsored by Sky Bet, he said: "That's the right attitude and mentality: just focus on your game and your next performance, whether you play well or things don't go well for you. At Liverpool, the games come every three or four days, so just get ready for the next one.

"To be fair to the kid, he's not feeling sorry for himself. He's still going out there, trying to create for the team and score for the team. He's been an awful lot better in recent weeks, but yesterday [vs Brighton] he was outstanding in the first half.

"Some of the passes he played and the spaces he found were excellent. He's contributing, and although it goes down as an own goal, he's in the right place and taking shots on.

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"My message to him is to be a bit more selfish. Sometimes you don't have to play the last pass or look for that final pass. If you're in range, let it fly. He's capable of scoring goals himself, so I want him to be a little bit more selfish, in a nice way.

"I don't want him to stop other people getting easier chances than him, but he should reward himself a little bit more. Sometimes, when you're young, you're looking to play that extra pass. I want him to be a little bit more selfish and let the trigger go."