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'I would say that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are slimmer than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' Christian Fuchs is discussing his new life as head coach of Newport County, and the daunting task of preventing a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be attainable,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'I suppose that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, erupting in a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk flows in multiple pathways, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another delivery brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this really makes me very content,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Until coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets were released, an curious error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear experiences 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 mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his childhood 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 reveals. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m very determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical 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 fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers present bleak reading. Newport have secured 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 secured three points at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent injury-time equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two megs already, yes! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this together.'