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'I reckon that the chances of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his recent venture as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of staving off a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he says, letting out a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. The discussion runs in different directions, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another delivery brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this really makes me very happy,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Until his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets were released, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. '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 nice.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'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 cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our methodology 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 eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s determination stems from his early years 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 defeat 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 can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite determined. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens 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, emphasizing 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 states. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint grim 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two pannas already, get in! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this collectively.'