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'The probability of a late surge is arguably less likely than that historic 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his new life as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of preventing a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be attainable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse travels in different directions, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move 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 were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, an curious error came to light. {'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 pleasant.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'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 holds dear experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big 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.'

Background and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his childhood 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 skilled enough,' he discloses. {'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 not 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 make-up is: I’m very stubborn. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle 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, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating 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, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers make bleak reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are yet to win 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 stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to see 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.'