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'I reckon that the chances of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his fresh chapter as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of averting a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him much more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the element of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, letting out laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse flows in different directions, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Until his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets dropped, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt 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 pleasant.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear experiences 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 test them psychologically?’’ 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 comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from 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 capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not 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 character is: I’m very headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present grim 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 precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to see each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this as one.'