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'The probability of a late surge is arguably less likely than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his fresh chapter as boss of Newport County, and the immense task of averting a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be achievable,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, letting out a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a fascinating 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 looks at some mail on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets were released, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt 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 fitting.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' 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 modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear insights gained 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 challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our methodology 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 focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s drive stems from his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are comparisons to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be good enough,' he reveals. {'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 not do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very determined. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

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 fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers make bleak reading. Newport have managed 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 won a game 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 stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part 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 pannas already, yes! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this collectively.'