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'I would say that the odds of us transforming our fortunes are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his recent venture as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of staving off a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, erupting in a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Discourse runs in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some mail on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching 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. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. '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 pleasant.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s determination 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 skilled enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied 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 arrive than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers make bleak 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial 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 fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two pannas already, get in! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this together.'