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'I estimate that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are slimmer than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his fresh chapter as head coach of Newport County, and the immense task of staving off a fall 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 perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be possible,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's illogical, right?' he says, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Discourse travels in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another delivery brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip 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 David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards were released, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you see Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 observed 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 considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s determination comes from his early years 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 reveals. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, 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 prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers paint bleak reading. Newport have secured 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 won a game 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 power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes 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 part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two pannas already, yes! 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 striving towards this together.'