When Celtic were thumped in Dortmund on the pitch, both the players and manager Brendan Rodgers took a battering off it too for their approach to the game, and for their refusal to bend from a style that has been the hallmark of 'the Celtic way’.

Since then, though, they have quietly gone about redefining just what that term means on the European stage.

Yes, Rodgers has remained true to his core principles and implores his team to play at all times, even when under the sort of intense pressure that led to Cameron Carter-Vickers coughing up the error that gave Club Brugge the lead on Wednesday night.

But in Bergamo against Atalanta, he showed that he was willing and able to set up his team to absorb pressure. And when the fine flowing football they produced against RB Leipzig failed to materialise against Brugge, Celtic showed they are starting to learn how to pick up results at the top level even when far from their best.

Showing such qualities on such a stage represent an evolution for this Celtic side under Rodgers, according to full-back Alistair Johnston, and they are certainly nothing to be ashamed of, particularly if they help the Scottish champions progress from the league stage of the competition.

“We talked about it after the [Dortmund] match,” Johnston said.

“It’s such a cliche, but if you learn from it then maybe it’s not the worst thing for you.

“I do actually think we’ve learned from it. You saw in the Atalanta match we were really comfortable sitting in a 4-4-2 block or whatever and absorbing pressure.

“You look at all the top teams, Arsenal for example, were perfectly comfortable going away from home and using a 4-4-2 block.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You are playing these top teams, it’s the highest level for a reason. You are going to have to defend at some point. It’s not being naive or not being the Celtic way.

“It is the Celtic way. You defend, you dig in, and you find a way to get a result. That’s something we’ve shown this year that gives us a lot of confidence.

“No matter who we are playing, we can do what’s needed to get a result.”

The result against Brugge ultimately may not have been what Celtic had hoped for prior to the game, but after rallying to get a point from the impressive Belgian outfit, Johnston firmly believes it falls into the ‘point gained’ category.

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“I think at the Champions League level, any point is a good point,” he said.

“Even though it was at home, it’s probably a sign of how far we’ve come that we were disappointed we were not at our best.

“If we had been at our best, the possibility of three points was there. At the same time, when you go in at half-time 1-0 down and having not played your best football, you know you are mature enough and confident in the system to make a tactical adjustment and go out and find an equaliser – and push for a winner.

“That’s something we have definitely grown into.”

There was also a public sign of the strong leadership within the team itself just after Carter-Vickers had his moment to forget, as captain Callum McGregor and goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel brought the team together for an impromptu Celtic huddle to iron out the problems they were facing.

Some tweaks from the dugout ultimately helped Celtic get back into the contest, but Johnston says there is also a willingness from the players themselves to problem solve in real time.

“I think that was the right moment for it,” he said.

“We were a little bit all over the place. They were pressing a little higher than we were expecting and even then, I don’t think we were making the in-game adjustments we needed.

“It was about calling everyone in, calming everything down. Again, no one was really shell-shocked or anything. It was just about taking a deep breath and playing through this.

(Image: Andrew Milligan - PA)

“If they were going to do that then let’s use our front men, use our pace, and put some fear into them.

“I do think we picked it up and it was a much better second half to give us the result we really needed.

“We need to get as many points as possible so I don’t think anyone could be too disappointed with a point.

“We went a little bit more man to man at the back [after that] and slung Daizen (Maeda) more forward.

“It felt like we were pressing in the first half but too often they had the extra man and were confident they could find him. They got us turned and were driving at our backline.

“We felt if they were going to do this, let’s have a proper go. That, combined with the added intensity of the pressing going up another level, they found it difficult to get out.

“All of a sudden by the end they were kicking it long, which is a sign you are doing well.

“That got us a foothold in the game and got the crowd into it.”

Celtic have played themselves into a favourable position in the table then, with games against Dinamo Zagreb and Aston Villa on the road to come with a home tie against Young Boys sandwiched in between.

The prevailing wisdom is that one more win should be enough for Celtic to reach the play-off round at the very least, and Johnston would love to get those three potentially crucial points when they travel to Croatia.

“Zagreb is a couple of weeks away, so we are focused on County this weekend,” he said.

“We have the confidence in the group no matter the game or how hostile the environment – which I’m guessing it’s going to be crazy over there – then we are ready for anything that’s thrown at us.

“It’s an exciting match.”