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'I reckon that the chances of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his new life as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of preventing a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he states.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets came out, an curious error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you see Claudio you imagine an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' 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 modify anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach 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 eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s motivation originates in 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 good enough,' he reveals. {'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 cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical 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 fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he explains, 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 different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers present bleak 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots 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 in here,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two megs already, yes! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this collectively.'