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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his fresh chapter as manager of Newport County, and the daunting task of staving off a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he states.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, erupting in laughter. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Discourse flows in different directions, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another delivery brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this really makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to assume 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 giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets came out, an curious error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious 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 brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He didn’t get involved 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 holds dear 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 challenge 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 eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s drive comes from his upbringing 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 skilled enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers paint grim 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong 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 in here,' he remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two megs already, yes! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this as one.'