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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 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 monumental task of averting a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be achievable,' he notes.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, letting out a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion travels in different directions, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another package brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this makes me very content,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Until his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets came out, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to change 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 additional out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s drive stems from his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities 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 overcome 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present sobering reading. Newport have secured three of 19 league matches and are without a victory 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men secured a precious point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad 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 says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two megs 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 tackling this together.'