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'I would say that the odds of us transforming our fortunes are lower than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' Christian Fuchs is discussing his recent venture as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of preventing a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'I guess that's the part that's illogical, right?' he states, breaking into a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion flows in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until coming back from North Carolina to assume 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. On that occasion David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards were released, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his early years 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 good enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, 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 determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers present 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 valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'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 admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two pannas already, get in! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re working on this as one.'