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'I would say that the odds of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his new life as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of staving off a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him far more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he states.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, letting out laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse travels in different directions, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He opens some mail on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another delivery brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets came out, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from Ranieri, 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 joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs values 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 challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins 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 capable enough,' he shares. {'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 can't do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint sobering reading. Newport have managed 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 tasted victory 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 earned a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this as one.'