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'I would say that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are lower than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' Christian Fuchs is discussing his fresh chapter as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of averting a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The obvious 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 comments, erupting in a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Discourse runs in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another delivery brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this really makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Prior to returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets came out, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get more 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 driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Mindset

Fuchs’s determination originates in 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 capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed 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 analytics 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 happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers present grim reading. Newport have secured three of 19 league matches and are winless 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 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 build a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this collectively.'