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The terrifying thought for Chelsea’s Barclays Premier League and Champions League rivals is that Didier Drogba could just be warming up.

The Ivory Coast striker has not got going until the turn of the year in the past few seasons, impersonating one of the Hollywood actors he occasionally resembles when going to ground by timing his best performances to coincide with the awards season.

If Drogba maintains the form that has brought him 12 goals in 13 competitive matches this season — including both in a 2-2 draw away to Atlético Madrid on Tuesday — he will be a shoo-in for the Footballer of the Year award. For the first time in his Chelsea career, Drogba has turned up before Christmas, with his challenge now being to sustain such excellence throughout an arduous season that will end with him playing in his second World Cup finals.

The 31-year-old has scored more goals this season than he managed before Christmas in the past two campaigns combined and he had yet to get off the mark at the corresponding stage last season.

Drogba’s habit of starting at a snail’s pace before haring off at the business end — in only one of his previous five seasons at Chelsea has he reached double figures before the end of the year — has long been a source of mystery, with many concluding that this most laconic of individuals saved his best performances for when they mattered most. His underachievement at the start of last season, when he scored three goals in his first 23 games, was arguably attributable in part to the breakdown of his relationship with Luiz Felipe Scolari, thus reinforcing the view that he picks and chooses his games.

Drogba’s body language has not helped him, although injuries have also played a significant part in stifling his progress. The former Marseilles striker suffered eight separate knee injuries in the 14 months between August 2007 and October 2008, undergoing surgery on three occasions, which is enough in itself to explain his stop-start contributions.

For the first time in three years Drogba was able to benefit from a complete pre-season programme in summer, which Florent Malouda identifies as the key to his team-mate’s resurgence.

“The fact that he did a good preseason without any injuries for a long time is important,” the Chelsea winger said. “He’s enjoying his form because he is training hard, harder than ever, and he is fit. He had some rest because of the Champions League ban and now he is back in the competition and scoring a lot of goals. He is full of confidence and we can see in every game he tries everything. It is a good plus at the moment for everyone.”

Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, cited the opportunity to rest afforded by Drogba’s suspension as a significant factor behind his superb performances in the past week — he also scored in a 4-0 win away to Bolton Wanderers — but a change in attitude after the Barcelona debacle in the Champions League semi-final, when he was banned for three games for verbally abusing the referee, Tom Henning Ovrebo, also appears to have played a part. Drogba’s commitment has never been questioned by those who know him, but all too often his energy was diluted by imagined slights and grievances. A real slight, when Chelsea considered offloading him last summer, has refocused his mind.

“He has always believed in himself,” said Malouda, who first played with Drogba in France seven years ago. “Even when he was playing in the second division in France he was dreaming about the Champions League and preparing himself for that.

“He has always been a leader, bringing the team behind him. When he is like this, every team has to fear him.”

Manchester United will certainly be wary when they visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday, although it is a sign of Drogba’s increased maturity that he appears more concerned with the team’s success than accepting plaudits himself. “If we win, it will be nice because we are top of the league and the intention when we play at home is always to win, especially against one of the contenders for the title,” Drogba said. “We have to make Stamford Bridge a fortress.”

With Drogba in his present form, few will relish the task of invading.