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'The probability of a dramatic turnaround is arguably more remote than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his fresh chapter as boss of Newport County, and the monumental task of averting a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be attainable,' he states.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the part of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, erupting in laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse flows in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of glossy photos from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another package brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very content,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to returning 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 cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets dropped, an curious error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision 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 came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach worked wonders. {'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 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ 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 similar situation to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems 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 shares. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, 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 show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite determined. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he points out, noting 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 long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers present grim 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 secured three points at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent injury-time equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes 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 component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – 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 one team, we’re tackling this collectively.'