It's fair to say that the way in which Martin O’Neill got Celtic off the mark in the Europa League against Besiktas divided public opinion.

For many of those viewing a starting line-up including Jordan Lotomba, Seb Tounekti and James Forrest, the veteran lucked out.

The opposing take was that O’Neill executed a managerial masterclass. That the belated introductions of Callum Osmand, Camilo Duran and Colby Donovan constituted a textbook rope-a-dope approach.

Whatever the truth of the matter, and only O’Neill truly knows what it is, you could not possibly argue with the outcome.

Second best in the contest for an hour, Celtic improved markedly in the final 30 minutes and refused to accept a share of the spoils when it seemed destined to be their lot.

How you finish a match is, indeed, just as important as how you start it. And it helps, of course, when those who belatedly enter the fray bring not only goals but pace, panache and a positive attitude.

‘That’s what you want from the subs — to make an impact from the bench,’ said midfielder Mika Baur.

‘It says a lot for Camilo to accept the situation of starting on the bench. But to come on and make such an impact, producing in the big moments to score those two goals to win us the game was huge.

‘Ossie [Osmand] as well, he came on with a goal and assist. He won the ball as well and was working hard. I’m really glad for them.’

In every respect, Celtic needed a night like that. O’Neill walked off the team coach before the game knowing a loss would see him become the first manager in the club’s history to oversee five straight European defeats.

With the wider picture of just three wins in ten matches, the scatter gun had been trained on everyone at the club in recent days – the hierarchy, the players, the manager and his coaching staff.

‘The win was important after some tough weeks,’ Baur reflected. ‘But the belief and the way we work together as a team has always been good. There was never any problem with that because we always believed in ourselves.

‘We showed how we can leave our hearts on the field and put in a shift. It was important to get those three points and we deserved it.

‘Hopefully, we can go forward with the confidence from this game.’

Given the air of gloom which has hung over the club lately, the Turks’ opener, stemming from a ludicrous tackle by Lotomba, felt for all the world like an extension of so much which had gone before.

From the minute Osmand levelled with his first touch, however, the entire dynamic of the evening changed.

Celtic found something deep within themselves that just hadn’t been there up until that point. The positivity on the field was mirrored by the buoyant mood in the stands.

‘The fans helped a lot. You could feel the energy,’ said Baur. ‘It was not just us players on the field who deserved the win — it was also everyone around the stadium and they brought the energy as well.

‘It’s an unbelievable feeling as a player to have everyone pushing you and being there for you. It gives you that last percentage of energy you need at the end.’

Technically impressive and tactically astute, Baur caught the eye on Thursday, just as he has done in most of his matches since moving to Glasgow from Paderborn for £4.5million in the summer.

Whatever criticisms can justifiably be made of the club’s recruitment across a number of years, the German has already justified the faith shown in him.

It’s easy to forget that he’s still only 22. The level of scrutiny he’s being subjected to in Glasgow is a new thing. So far, however, he’s shown up well.

‘Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t,’ he shrugged. ‘But I hope people understand that as a young player it can be tough to be comfortable in a new country, a new culture and new club.

‘I have felt good in my first few months but it is a bit of a rollercoaster. Playing in this unbelievable stadium in front of these fans — you feel the pressure with some of the games we have lost, but I am getting used to it.’

Having earned his first full cap in September after being called up by new Germany boss Jurgen Klopp, Baur has dropped back down to the Under-21s in the coming fortnight but takes only positives from his experience of the last international camp.

‘I can understand,’ he said. ‘There are so many unbelievable players in the squad, especially in my position.

‘We’re talking about guys from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. I just do my best and hopefully they can see I am developing and improving.

‘I’m still with the Under-21s for the games against Belgium and Croatia, so that will be good.

‘European matches like Thursday can only help and I have to hope they see. I’m still young but I’ll keep doing my best and we’ll see what happens next time.’