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'I reckon that the chances of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his recent venture as boss of Newport County, and the immense task of staving off a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I guess that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, erupting in laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He looks at some post on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of glossy photos from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another envelope brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this makes me very content,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets were released, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They got wrong 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 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'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 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 considered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology 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 anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his early years 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 shares. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very headstrong. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present bleak 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 tasted victory at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative 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 states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two nutmegs already, yes! I want us to see each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this collectively.'