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'I reckon that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are slimmer than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' Christian Fuchs is discussing his fresh chapter as boss of Newport County, and the immense task of averting a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be achievable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. The discussion runs in different directions, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this really makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Until returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets dropped, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He didn’t get involved at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve watched you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs values experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s drive comes from his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are parallels to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be skilled enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very headstrong. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present grim reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are without a victory in eight in all competitions. By the time of their next home game, they will have not tasted victory at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent last-gasp equaliser with 10 men secured a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this together.'