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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably less likely than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his recent venture as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of averting a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be possible,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse runs in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some mail on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another envelope brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this makes me very happy,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets were released, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong 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 nice.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed 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 hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs values experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major 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 focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s determination comes from his early years 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 capable 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 can't do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m doing 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 fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers present bleak reading. Newport have won 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 earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, 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 inside,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to regard 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 collectively.'