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'I reckon that the chances of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his recent venture as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of staving off a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, letting out a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Discourse flows in multiple pathways, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another package brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this really makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit 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 faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets came out, an curious error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move 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 midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach worked wonders. {'When you see Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to observe training in Austria for the first week. He remained on the sidelines 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 change anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Nature

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 good enough,' he shares. {'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 can not do this, you can not 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 pretty headstrong. If I see possibility, 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 presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers paint bleak 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 secured three points at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent last-gasp equaliser with 10 men secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two pannas already, yes! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this collectively.'