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'I reckon that the odds of us reviving our campaign are slimmer than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his recent venture as boss of Newport County, and the immense task of preventing a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be attainable,' he states.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'I guess that's the part that's not logical, right?' he comments, letting out laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse runs in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Prior to returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching 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. During that match the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets were released, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice 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 observational approach did the trick. {'When you see Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'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 alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our methodology as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s motivation comes from his upbringing 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 shares. {'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 cannot 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 character is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he explains, highlighting 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 declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, 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 overarching numbers paint 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two megs 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 working on this together.'