ANGE POSTECOGLOU has praised the contribution of Joao Jota after the winger proved a constant threat to Real Betis.

Jota, making just his second start for the club in Seville, caused problems for Manuel Pellegrini’s side all evening with his runs in behind, and perhaps should have done better with a couple of first-half chances.

As well as his assist for Celtic’s opener though, Postecoglou saw plenty of reasons to be excited about the player he may have on his hands once the Portuguese attacker is fully up to speed.

“It’s still a team that’s learning to play together,” Postecoglou said. “We’re throwing players in, but I thought Jota was outstanding tonight.

“He posed a threat all night he worked really hard, he’s starting to understand our football.

“That’s why I believe that we’ll get stronger and the team will get better as well.

“He worked awfully hard tonight, he’s a young player, and he’s not the only one.

“I’ve just got to be careful in my approach. I’m really positive about the way we’re going. Obviously we need to measure it a little bit, but a lot of these guys are just starting out.”

Meanwhile, Postecoglou has dismissed concerns about his style of play leaving his defence exposed after shipping four goals to Betis, saying that they too will improve once he gets a settled back four.

“Don’t discount the quality of the opposition,” he said. “They got into our box, we tried to keep them out, but they were always a threat.

“Tony Ralston has been outstanding, but he’s missed a few games. It was Cameron (Carter-Vickers)’s second game, Carl (Starfelt) has just come in this year. It’s Josip (Juranovic)’s third or fourth game. It’s going to take time for us to get that understanding in a defensive sense.

“I see in them a desire to get better and improve and that’s the most important thing.”