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'I would say that the odds of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his recent venture as head coach of Newport County, and the monumental task of staving off a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'I imagine that's the part that's not logical, right?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his playful character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another delivery brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt 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 fitting.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, 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 hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you envision an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it 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 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 mentally?’’ 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 similar situation to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation comes 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 good enough,' he shares. {'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't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint grim reading. Newport have won 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 secured three points 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 earned a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a member 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, get in! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this as one.'