The Germany attacker has struggled in his first games as a Liverpool player and was dropped to the bench for the trip to Stamford Bridge.
But McAteer insists facing Chelsea would've been ideal for the summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen.
Asked just where Wirtz fits in Slot's system, McAteer laughed: "What system are we playing? He's been out on the right, he's played false number nine. He's been on the left against Palace - I think at the minute, it's horses for courses. It's funny, he didn't play against Chelsea. I thought it was the ideal game to play.
"I just thought, where the two teams are at the minute, I just thought it would be an open game as both teams will want to win, both managers will be desperate for a win. The pressure's on now because they've both lost a few games and I just thought it would be the game it was. It was a great game.
"It was just unfortunate the result for us, but I actually thought that would have been perfect for him and I think he proved it second half when he came on. He lit the game up and Liverpool looked better for it. So I would have actually started him from the front."
Gerrard's Ibrox return
Meanwhile, McAteer's former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is on the brink of returning to Rangers for a second time as manager.
Asked if Gerrard should be 'going back', McAteer told Tribalfootball.com: "It's like going back full circle to our conversation, Steven built a team there, when Steven Gerrard rings you up, and he wants to take Ryan Kent, he took a few of the Liverpool players from the 21's that he knew.
"He’s also got a decent backroom staff. Tommy Culshaw is with him. Tommy has been around a long time. Steven, he's a great figurehead for the football club, he’s a big personality and it goes back to what we were saying before - sometimes that's what the club needs, it needs that image.
"It was Graham Souness before who did it and brought them great success in the '90s, then Steven's gone back there and he broke the Celtic cycle, he's an instant legend - but then, unfortunately, what the fans feared was he was always going to move on, and it played out like that, but I think I do think he could go back and replicate it."
- Jason McAteer was speaking to Tribalfootball.com on behalf of Casino.org Ireland