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'I reckon that the likelihood of us turning the season around are less than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his recent venture as head coach of Newport County, and the immense task of averting a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him far more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he says, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a colourful conversation. The discussion travels in multiple pathways, from playing for the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another delivery brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline 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. That day the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards came out, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He remained on the sidelines at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve observed you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs cherishes insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his childhood in Neunkirchen. {'There are comparisons to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers make grim reading. Newport have managed three of 19 league matches and are yet to win in eight in all competitions. By the time of their next home game, they will have not won a game 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 garnered a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this collectively.'