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'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably a longer shot than that historic 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his new life as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of staving off a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that unbelievable 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 showed that the impossible can be achievable,' he states.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, breaking into a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a colourful conversation. The discussion travels in various tangents, from playing for the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another package brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until coming back from North Carolina to accept 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 shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards came out, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong 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 pleasant.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you see Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get extra 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 decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s drive comes from his childhood 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 discloses. {'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 cannot do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, 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 bleak 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 crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this together.'