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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favor.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his fresh chapter as boss of Newport County, and the immense task of staving off a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be possible,' he notes.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse flows in different directions, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some post on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another envelope brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Things like this makes me very content,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets dropped, an curious error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled 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 pleasant.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear 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 decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s determination stems from his childhood 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 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't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical 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 boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers make sobering reading. Newport have managed 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 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 crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes 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 inside,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to view 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 collectively.'