If you have ever wondered whether Didier Drogba was fully focused on the matter in hand during some of his less intense performances for Chelsea, do not feel guilty for questioning the concentration of a finely honed athlete. Drogba has confirmed that his mind can wander during matches and suggests that he has missed goalscoring chances as a result.

Some unkind commentators have noted that the Ivory Coast forward often seems to need a lie-down during matches, but Drogba has admitted that he can drift off mentally, especially when play is at the other end of the field. “Yes, it happens to me many times, it happens to every one of us,” Drogba said. “It’s funny because there are some times in the game where you don’t touch the ball for a while and then you realise that the crowd is there, or they’re not reacting, or you notice something specific going on and focus on it.

“After that you have to come back into the game quick because this is how you lose your attention and sometimes you can mis-control when the ball comes to you suddenly, or miss an opportunity.”

Drogba is recovering from a knee injury, but when he returns he can expect to benefit from the more open attacking style that Chelsea have adopted under Luiz Felipe Scolari. The striker has started only three matches since the Brazilian took over in the summer, including the Champions League match away to CFR Cluj, of Romania, in which he damaged knee ligaments. But when Drogba recovers, Scolari will discover that he has inherited a player whose preparation for matches is more considered than many have given him credit for and which is in contrast to his occasional lack of concentration during them.

As with many successful scorers, Drogba uses visualisation techniques, mentally rehearsing methods of escaping defenders before planting the ball past the goalkeeper. “I actually think about the way I am going to score my goal,” he said. “I close my eyes and try to imagine it and sometimes it doesn’t happen. But most of the time when you get it in your head that you are going to score a certain kind of goal, it happens. It’s funny, but you create something in your head, a desire to score, an attitude and everything can go like this in the game.”

Drogba tells the November issue of Chelsea magazine that he is also keenly aware of the differing demands of playing as a lone forward or with a partner. “When you play alone in attack you need a special preparation, so that mentally you are ready, otherwise you cannot play to the best of your ability,” he said. “I think about what I am going to do to escape my marker, to score goals.

“It’s different with two up front — you have to think with your partner, have the same ideas as him and not think only for yourself in the game.”

Not that Drogba has had much opportunity to develop partnerships at Stamford Bridge, so seldom did he start matches alongside another forward under José Mourinho or Avram Grant. But with Andriy Shevchenko and Nicolas Anelka failing to show much form, and midfield players such as Frank Lampard regularly on the scoresheet, perhaps Drogba has been better left alone up front, where he can play a style of football that suits him.

“Now my game is much more about coming deep, touching the ball and then moving into space,” he said. “I need to be on the limit of offside when the pass comes. I’ve scored a lot of goals where it looks close to offside, but the assistant referee can’t say because I’m always right on the limit.”