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'I estimate that the chances of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' Christian Fuchs is discussing his fresh chapter as boss of Newport County, and the monumental task of averting a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, letting out laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion runs in various tangents, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another package brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards dropped, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs cherishes experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s determination originates in his upbringing 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 skilled enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven 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 data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he points out, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'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 find its target than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers make grim reading. Newport have managed 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men secured a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys 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 middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two megs already, yes! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this together.'