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'I would say that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are lower than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' Christian Fuchs is discussing his recent venture as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of preventing a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk travels in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some post on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another delivery brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Prior to returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets were released, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong 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 fitting.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, 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 didn’t get involved 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 values lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ 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 comparable position to where I am now … very motivated, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his childhood 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 skilled enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, 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 stubborn. 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 formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied 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 distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader 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 won a game 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 crucial 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 create a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two megs already, yes! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this collectively.'