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'I would say that the chances of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his new life as head coach of Newport County, and the daunting task of averting a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He opens some post on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this really makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Until his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Insights 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 brought in 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 light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you see Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned 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 test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our approach 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 motivation comes from his childhood 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 discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, 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 give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical 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 numerous season peaks,' he says, highlighting 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 insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The overarching 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men secured a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'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 admission, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this as one.'