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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably a longer shot than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his new life as manager of Newport County, and the immense task of preventing a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him much more than a winner's medal. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, erupting in a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another envelope brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this makes me very happy,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards came out, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled 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.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear insights gained 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 test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major 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 anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s drive 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 reveals. {'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 can't 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 doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers present bleak reading. Newport have secured three of 19 league matches and are winless 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 dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two nutmegs already, get in! 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 striving towards this collectively.'