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'I reckon that the odds of us transforming our fortunes are slimmer than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his recent venture as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of staving off a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be achievable,' he states.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, letting out a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his playful character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another envelope brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this genuinely makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets dropped, an curious error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned 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 test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation originates in 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 good enough,' he shares. {'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 not do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very stubborn. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 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 different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers make grim reading. Newport have won 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 won a game 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, 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 bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this as one.'