Sheer belief instilled by Claudio Ranieri went a long way to securing the club's first Premier League title, but losing the Algerian would be a disaster
The phrase 'the whole is greater than the sum of its parts' became synonymous with Leicester City as they romped their way to the Premier League title last term. But if we take that at face value, then we have to assume that replacing a few of the cogs that make up the Foxes machine wouldn't cause much of an issue.
Team spirit, work ethic, fitness and so on are generally the buzz words and phrases that spring to mind when people are asked about the fairytale that was the club's maiden English league title, but there's more to it than that.
Pull the leg off a fly and it'll buzz away into the sky, but remove it's wings? For Leicester City, Jamie Vardy, N'Golo Kante and, most importantly at this juncture, Riyad Mahrez, were and are the club's wings.
Kante is gone and Claudio Ranieri's side are feeling the void. The Italian was right when he said the only thing new midfield signing Nampalys Mendy has in common with Kante – certainly at the moment – is that they share the same starting position.
Mendy may grow into a world beater like his countryman, but there's a long way to go before he hits the same heady heights. Yes, he has only played one match so far and it's harsh to judge, but given how Ranieri had to reposition the new acquisition with orders from the sidelines throughout the match against Celtic, it's clear that he will take time to gel.
It's true that Leicester have strengthened in other areas, with new striker Ahmed Musa looking sharp if not quite on the same wavelength as his team-mates yet, new goalkeeper Ron-Robert Zieler looks comfortable already and former Real Madrid youth Luis Hernandez appears tidy enough at centre-back.
And while Ranieri said in the build up to the International Champions Cup clash that the Foxes lost Nigel Pearson and Esteban Cambiasso before the start of last season and improved so much that they won the league, neither of those figures come close to offering the same output as one Riyad Mahrez.
Half fit and wandering up and down the line in typical almost lazy-looking style, the Algerian was once again the difference as Leicester defeated the Scottish champions at Celtic Park. There was no Dirk Kuyt-style pressing, just sheer brilliance when it was needed.
Time and again Mahrez found himself in the right place at the right time - and if his team-mates were half as naturally gifted as the 25-year-old is, the numerous through-balls and crosses that he delivered would have been goals.
But, not first the first time, it was left up to the Algerian to make a difference. Moments after the second half began, a haring run was followed by a cut inside which allowed Leicester's gem enough time to curl a sumptuous effort into the top corner.
Celtic went on to find an equaliser from the unlikeliest of sources in centre-back Eoghan O'Connell, but the damage was already done. Mahrez's beautiful strike was enough to see the game through to penalties and an eventual win for the Premier League champions.
It's performances like Saturday's that make it imperative Leicester do everything in their power to hold on to their wing king. Players like Vardy, Kante and Mahrez are what makes a team great - players who can produce that little bit of magic to make the difference