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'I estimate that the odds of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his recent venture as manager of Newport County, and the monumental task of staving off a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. The discussion flows in various tangents, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He opens some post on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another envelope brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Until returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter 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 a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They got wrong 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 pleasant.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. 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 did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'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 cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his upbringing 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 discloses. {'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 cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Fight 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 peaks,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased 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 unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers make sobering reading. Newport have won 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 won a game at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent last-gasp equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this as one.'