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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his recent venture as boss of Newport County, and the monumental task of staving off a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, erupting in a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Our talk travels in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some post on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another delivery brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating 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

Until returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip 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 David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets were released, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled 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 Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 watched 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 considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s drive originates in his upbringing 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 get the better of 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 can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty determined. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he explains, noting 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 declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint grim reading. Newport have secured 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 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 power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two megs already, yes! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this together.'