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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that historic 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his new life as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of preventing a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be possible,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he comments, letting out a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion travels in multiple pathways, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some mail on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another package brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Until coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching 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. On that occasion David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards dropped, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. '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 fitting.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. 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 observe Claudio you imagine an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to observe training in Austria for the first week. He remained on the sidelines 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 values lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy 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 driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s determination comes from 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 skilled enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'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 find its target than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers paint sobering reading. Newport have won 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 tasted victory 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It 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, likes being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two megs already, yes! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re working on this as one.'