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'I reckon that the chances of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his new life as head coach of Newport County, and the daunting task of averting a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, erupting in a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion travels in different directions, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very content,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Until coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets came out, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get more 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 players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s determination comes from his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be good enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome 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 not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he points out, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers make sobering reading. Newport have secured 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this collectively.'