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'I reckon that the chances of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his fresh chapter as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of preventing a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, letting out laughter. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion runs in different directions, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some post on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'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 card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this really makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards dropped, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 observed 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 thought: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I challenge 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 motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s drive comes from his upbringing 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 reveals. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot 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 personality is: I’m very stubborn. If I see possibility, 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 fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'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 probability to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers make grim reading. Newport have won 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 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to regard each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this collectively.'