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'I reckon that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are lower than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his fresh chapter as head coach of Newport County, and the monumental task of preventing a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be possible,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, breaking into laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Discourse travels in multiple pathways, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this really makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Until coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards dropped, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way 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 appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs cherishes insights gained 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 big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s drive originates in his early years 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 good enough,' he discloses. {'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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Detailed 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, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers present sobering reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are winless 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men secured a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad 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 at heart,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this as one.'