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'I reckon that the chances of us turning the season around are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' Christian Fuchs is discussing his recent venture as manager of Newport County, and the daunting task of preventing a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk flows in multiple pathways, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some post on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this genuinely makes me very content,' he concludes.

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 previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs explains. {'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 insights gained 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 psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy 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.'

Roots and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s drive originates in his upbringing 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 capable enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very headstrong. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'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 general numbers paint sobering reading. Newport have secured 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 garnered 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 build a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two pannas already, get in! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this as one.'