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'I estimate that the likelihood of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is discussing his new life as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of preventing a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'I guess that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, erupting in a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. The discussion travels in different directions, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He opens some post on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another envelope brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this genuinely makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Prior to returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets dropped, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled 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 Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired 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 produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs values insights gained 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 challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s drive originates in his childhood 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 skilled enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Battle 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers paint 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 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to regard 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.'