Drogba learning from past mistakes

(CNN) -- Whether or not Didier Drogba was given some 'friendly advice' by his Chelsea team captain John Terry, or all the media criticism and rival fan abuse finally had some impact on him, but last season saw the Ivory Coast striker finally make his mark in the Premier League for all the right reasons.

Despite his powerful physique and obvious upper body strength, Drogba had developed an unhealthy reputation for falling over far too easily when challenged.

No matter that his goals and superb forward play, encapsulating a style that blended perfectly to the rigors of English football, had led Chelsea to successive league titles -- the fact was that Drogba was perceived as a 'faker' always play-acting and courting controversy on the pitch with his perceived antics.

Drogba's cause wasn't helped when he admitted in a TV interview that he would do whatever was necessary to win a penalty for his team -- honest perhaps, but not in-keeping with the English sense of fair play.

With the player reported to be unhappy with the criticism and contemplating leaving Chelsea, the big-money signing of Andrei Shevchenko was seen by some as an indication that the Ukrainian was being viewed as the London club's main striker -- and maybe even a replacement for Drogba.

The reality proved vastly different.

As Shevchenko struggled to acclimatize to the stronger pace of the English game, netting a disappointing four league goals, Drogba defiantly led the Chelsea line with a maturity and level-headedness that had been sorely lacking in his first two seasons at Stamford Bridge.

Drogba's 20 league goals, nine more than Frank Lampard who had topped the Chelsea goal charts the two previous season, saw him end the season as the Premier League's top marksman -- and although uncharacteristic defensive errors saw them lose their champions' crown, Drogba's determination and ability to shake off injuries ensured Chelsea still ended the season with two trophies.

Two Drogba goals, the second a classic center-forward's header, saw Chelsea recover from going a goal down to Arsenal's hungry young side to win the League Cup in February.

Then, with May's FA Cup final against Manchester United failing to live up to the hype and heading for penalties, Drogba popped up again in the dying minutes to sink United's double dreams and make some amends for the northern club taking their title away from them.

In fact, so important was Drogba's contribution to Chelsea last season, allied to Shevchenko's continued struggles, that they were unbelievably referred to on occasions as a 'one-man team' -- with the emphasis on keeping their star striker fit and available for selection.

No more diving, no more histrionics, no more controversy, just pure talent. Whoever or whatever the reason for Drogba's change of attitude, the penny dropped in spectacular fashion last season.

His talent was never in question, his attitude sometimes was. With that problem seemingly taken care of, there seems nothing to stop Drogba proving himself as one of the top strikers in world football for many seasons to come. E-mail to a friend