This A-League season could end up being the tale of two Barcelona alumni. One is David Villa, who came and saw, and skedaddled. The other is Josep Gombau.

Coaches at Adelaide United have rarely been short of colour or far from controversy. They’ve never had one like Gombau though.

“A guy like Josep is few and far between. He’s very unique,” says Bruce Djite with a fond laugh. “In many ways.”

Few are better placed than Djite to reflect on the changes at Adelaide over the years. He started his career with the Reds back in 2006, and after a sojourn to Turkey and the Gold Coast, returned there in 2011.

There’s not a coach of Adelaide he hasn’t played under, and in Gombau, he believes the club has at last found the right man to bring them success.

Two things about the Catalan stand out for Djite: his man-management, and his ability to shape the game as it unfolds.

“He has so many solutions. If there’s a tactical battle happening out there, then you certainly know at half-time or even during the games that Josep can, most times, rectify that.”

Adelaide and Perth are the only remaining foundation clubs yet to be crowned league champions, and only Central Coast has had more near misses than United.

For Djite, Adelaide’s problem has never been a lack of talent, but being able to make the most of it.

“We’d have a team full of good players all working at 110%, but still get overrun by the opposition. It was like, with the quality that we have and the effort that we’re putting in, how is it that we’re not absolutely dominating this game?

“With Josep, he has so many solutions for so many scenarios. [It means] opposition coaches have their work cut out when they play against us, because we have so many variations.

“With all due respect to Australian coaches, there’s no way they can have the insight and in-depth knowledge of the game and tactical situations as a guy like Josep Gombau does.”

Gombau’s Adelaide spluttered through last season without ever coming good on their frequent patches of promise. Second time round, with a settled squad and the teething problems out of the way, it’s all clicked into the place. They approach Christmas in third spot, and on Tuesday night have the chance to win the inaugural FFA Cup.”

Djite himself began the season with a bang (though he’s been dealing with injury since). He scored four goals in the opening three weeks, including a decisive brace against Sydney in the cup’s quarter finals.

The difference at Hindmarsh Stadium this season isn’t so much about their form in front of goal though. As with last season, no one in the team is really making a play for the league’s golden boot. Yet they currently have the second-best goal difference in the competition.

“Last year, we were playing quite well but getting punished on the mistakes. Whereas this year, everyone knows the job inside out. We’ve gone up a couple of notches in the style and the way we we play. We’ve got different formations we can play, different players can play in different positions.”

At 27, Djite has reached the point in his career where his father, a professor of sociolinguistics based in Sydney, is no longer on his case to become an academic, yet he also needs to start thinking about what he’ll do next.

Would he like the follow in Gombau’s footsteps and enter the world of coaching? “No way!” he says without a moment of hesitation. He doesn’t mind doing some clinics for kids, but for results, “I can’t think of anything worse”.

“You’ve got no control. Imagine the stress. Look at what happened to Mike Mulvey. Why’d you wanna be coach?

“You’re better off being an investment banker,” says the business undergraduate. “I’ll give a hot tip. That’s stressful too – I’m not afraid of hard work – but getting sacked every two months, it’s not my interest that’s for sure.”

Djite sees parallels between the Adelaide of last season – with a new coach, a lot of fresh faces and an inability to capitalise on periods of good form – and the Socceroos of right now.

“They are going through a transition phase, that’s clear for everyone to see. The potential is there. Whether we fulfill it or not is another story.

“It’s a tough job for Ange, remodeling [the team], and hopefully the Asian Cup can be the start of something very successful.”

In a team sport, there are, it seems, no short cuts to success. It’s why you can’t just parachute a player of David Villa’s quality into a team like Melbourne City and expect it to go all green beret on the competition.

“Melbourne City did capitalise on him in the economical sense. But on the field, I don’t know. It’s a team sport, no one can do it by themselves. It’s impossible. Gary Ablett went to Gold Coast Suns. Did they win every game?”

Djite, who sits on the executive committee of the players’ union, the PFA, is no fan of the guest player rule. Nor of the injury replacement one.

“For me, it’s just a bit strange someone coming in, coming out. I think every club has got a youth team so if you’re lacking players, why not promote a young one?

“David Villa can’t come here and score three goals every game. But, wow, what a player! He’s the best player who’s ever played here, that’s for sure. I’m disappointed he wasn’t allowed to stay here longer.

“That was Melbourne City’s competitive advantage. It didn’t work out for them, in the end.”