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'I estimate that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are slimmer than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his new life as manager of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of preventing a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be attainable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, erupting in a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He opens some post on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another envelope brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Prior to returning 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 endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets were released, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. '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 The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to modify 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 more out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our methodology as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s drive comes from 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 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 can't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind 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, League Two 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 general numbers present sobering reading. Newport have secured 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 crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this collectively.'