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'I reckon that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his new life as manager of Newport County, and the immense task of preventing 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 gave him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'I suppose that's the part that's not logical, right?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk flows in different directions, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He looks at some post on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another envelope brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets came out, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. '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.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, 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 hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s determination comes from 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 shares. {'There are people who let that defeat 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 demonstrate that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present sobering reading. Newport have managed 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career 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, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to regard each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this as one.'