Ahead of Celtic’s away clash with St Johnstone on Sunday, returning star Jota faced the media and offered an insight into the consistency within the club’s setup, regardless of who is in the dugout.
The Portuguese winger, who rejoined the Hoops in January, reflected on the differences between his current manager Brendan Rodgers and former boss Ange Postecoglou.
Jota left just after Ange had taken the job at Spurs, and didn’t get the chance to work under Brendan, signing a life-changing contract in Saudi Arabia.
Despite the obvious contrasts in personality and tactical nuances, Jota said that the real constant at Celtic lies in the structure of the club itself, and that there was a real sense of continuity in the club, despite the 18 months he had away from Parkhead.
“The structure in Celtic is very well defined,” he told Celtic TV. “So whoever comes, there’s a way of doing things. Things are made for you to actually perform and to be your best version.
“It’s a really easy job as long as you are competitive and you can actually work hard and be involved in the dynamics. If there’s a new manager, obviously now with Brendan, he adds other things and he complements the team in another way because every manager is different and adds some things. Brendan adds others.
“Then it’s just a matter of adapting. The important stuff is that Celtic, for me, it’s like I never left. When I came in for the first day, it felt like it was the same.
“That gave me a lot of comfortable space to live in.”
With his form improving week by week, that comfort could be key as Celtic enter the final stretch of the season with silverware on the line.
He’ll still be getting up to the speed of things and still building up his sharpness, barely playing in Saudi and in France with Rennes. It likely won’t be until next season until Celtic fans see the winger blossom fully, but his quality is undoubted.
