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'I estimate that the odds of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' Christian Fuchs is discussing his recent venture as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of staving off a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him much more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be possible,' he states.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. The discussion runs in various tangents, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another package brings a collection of old collector's items, 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 content,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you observe 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 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 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 considered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s drive stems from his early years 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 shares. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs 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 prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle 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, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers paint grim 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 tasted victory 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 power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two pannas already, get in! 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.'