After a disappointing start to their title defence, it could be time for Ranieri to consider drastic measures.

The ‘Tinkerman’ will surely consider living up to his old nickname on the back of Leicester’s 4-1 loss away to Liverpool on Saturday.

One of the players who is arguably most at risk is last season’s Player of the Year, Riyad Mahrez.

On his day the Algerian is unstoppable, as he demonstrated in the last campaign with 17 goals and 11 assists as the Foxes charged to the title.

This season has been a stark contrast for Leicester, who now lie in 16^th place with only four points from a possible 12 on the board after a shock opening day loss at Hull and Liverpool’s dismantlement of the Foxes at the weekend.

And Mahrez has come in for criticism as one of the key reasons why. The midfielder has looked a shadow of the maverick player who had fans off their seats last season. He has only one goal to his name so far, a penalty against Hull, and missed from the spot in Leicester’s 2-1 win over Swansea.

It isn’t just offensively where Mahrez is letting the side down at the moment, with the Algerian also coming in for criticism over his defensive contribution against Liverpool. While Mahrez has the license to roam while in attack, he was constantly caught out of position in defence as the Reds cut through the Foxes rear-guard.

Leicester’s ability to remain rigid in their ranks all over the pitch was one of the key reasons for their 15 clean sheets last season, and perhaps a lack of positional discipline is the reason why the Blues have already conceded seven goals in four games.

Mahrez’s sluggish start draws comparison with Eden Hazard at Chelsea last year who, like Mahrez, won the best player gong and the league the year before.

The Belgian, also like Mahrez, was accused of being lazy and struggled to replicate his attacking output (he finished the season with four goals and three assists as opposed to 14 goals and nine assists in the previous season) as Chelsea laboured to the worst title defence of the Premier League era. It was only once he had a spell on the sidelines under Guus Hiddink that Chelsea began to click again. Perhaps Ranieri should consider the same should he want to avoid inheriting the ‘worst title defenders’ badge from his old club.

Last season Mahrez was ever-present, making 37 appearances as Ranieri more or less maintained the same starting XI for large periods.

One thing City have to contend with this season, however, is added European football, meaning the need to rotate will be necessary in a number of positions, with options available in midfield and attack.

Leicester enjoyed a £65m summer spending spree which saw players like Ahmed Musa, Bartosz Kaputska and record signing Islam Slimani arrive at the club.

On top of the new recruits, the Foxes also have the young and exciting Demarai Gray pushing for starts after an impressive pre-season. Perhaps it is time to unleash him on Premier League defences and give Mahrez some time off.

Mahrez will more than likely relish his chance on the European stage, starting with Club Brugge on Wednesday night. Now would seem an opportune moment to give him a rest during domestic matches, especially with Musa, Gray and Kaputska chomping at the bit to show the fans what they can do.

On his day, the Algerian is unplayable and he will surely be a key player again this season but at the moment something is clearly not right.

Ranieri said before the Liverpool game that no player is safe from being dropped, regardless of their exploits in the title-winning campaign.

If things continue like this, the time may come when the ‘Tinkerman’ will have to stick to his word.

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