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'I estimate that the likelihood of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of staving off a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Discourse travels in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He opens some mail on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another envelope brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this really makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Until returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets 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 hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off 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 says. {'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 modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s determination 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 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 can not 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 quite stubborn. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Battle 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, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers make grim reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are winless 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads 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, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the boxes – two megs already, get in! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this as one.'