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'I would say that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his fresh chapter as manager of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of averting a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be attainable,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'I suppose that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse travels in multiple pathways, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some post on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this makes me very happy,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards were released, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. '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 nice.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs cherishes insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s drive comes 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 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't do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers paint sobering reading. Newport have managed 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men garnered a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this together.'