CELTIC went from two goals to the good in Seville to two goals behind, as Real Betis exposed the defensive frailties that are all too obvious in these early days of Ange Postecoglou’s reign.

The thrilling, swashbuckling football that took them into that winning position ultimately played a part in Celtic relinquishing that advantage, but Ange Postecoglou’s faith in his style of play remained steadfast after the game.

He wasn’t alone. Joao Jota, who was impressive throughout the night on the right wing, is already a devotee to Postecoglou’s attacking principles. That unshakeable faith that the squad have in what their manager is trying to do almost brought them back from the dead against Betis, and it is what Jota believes will ultimately make this team a success in the future.

“If we don’t believe in ourselves nobody else is going to believe,” Jota said. “I think we have to stick with our process and just do our thing, believe in the ideas of our coach and our club and stay true to ourselves.

“Unfortunately we didn’t get the result we wanted [against Real Betis], but I think the attitude is there. We just have to keep on doing our things, keep on track and just believing in the process.

“I think the next games will be better. It’s not the result we wanted but let’s look to the other ones.”

Inevitably, questions are being asked of Celtic’s backline in the wake of the four goals they conceded to Manuel Pellegrini’s star-studded outfit, but Jota is adamant that the whole team must take responsibility for all aspects of their play.

“We are working on every front,” he said. “Defensively, offensively…we have to be strong in every single area. It’s not only defensively.

“We do the work every single day and every single game so I just think we need more games, more time and things will be fluid for sure.”

Given the circumstances of the defeat to Betis, with Postecoglou’s side missing a host of first-team regulars including captain Callum McGregor and emerging with a more than creditable performance, the reaction has been as positive as a loss for Celtic can ever be.

For Jota, the disappointment of coming back from Seville with no points in their opening Europa League group fixture was similarly tempered by the belief he and his teammates took from the almighty fright they gave the La Liga side on their own patch.

“I think it shows we have personality, because Betis are a big team and we went face-to-face with them,” he said. “That was a good moment from us.

“I think we have to face every single game like that and score more goals and I think we will learn from this.”

The Celtic supporters are certainly warming to Jota the more they learn of his capabilities.

A decent debut last week against Ross County was followed up by that eye-catching display in Spain, where his direct running and trickery on the ball caused huge problems for the Betis defence.

The only black mark against his performance was when he passed up a huge opportunity to put Celtic three goals to the good when in on Claudio Bravo, the former Manchester City keeper coming up with a crucial save.

“It didn’t go in,” he said. "We would have been more comfortable in the game. We would like to have scored more goals because we had the opportunities.”

The next opportunity to impress for Jota comes quickly, with tomorrow’s visit to Livingston perhaps not likely to be quite as intimidating as Thursday night’s encounter in the Benito Villamarin Stadium.

It has been a whirlwind start to life at the club, but Jota is loving the experience of being a Celtic player.

“The debut and this game speak for themselves,” he said. “They were two good games.

“In the first one at Celtic Park, with the atmosphere and the fans, I felt very good. In this one [against Betis], it was a Europa League experience that made my day.

“At the end of the day, I want this experience. I want to be with the lads. I want to help them through the process and just keep on winning and keep on bringing titles and victories to Celtic.

“ It was not a good start to the Europa campaign but the attitude of the boys is there. We just have to keep on.

“I will be where ever the coach wants me on the pitch. If he wants me on the right, I will be on the right. If he wants me on the left, I will be on the left. Or the front. I just want to learn as much as possible and I will stick with his ideas for sure.”

The next test for Angeball then is to see whether or not it can work on a plastic pitch, but while Jota hasn’t had the experience of playing on one in his professional career, he is relaxed over the prospect.

“As a Celtic player, at this massive club, you cannot have excuses,” he said. “We just have to be in the games to win it.”