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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his fresh chapter as head coach of Newport County, and the monumental task of preventing a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he says, erupting in laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion flows in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another delivery brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this makes me very happy,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong 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 pleasant.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you see Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 change anything.''

Fuchs values experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very motivated, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s drive comes from his upbringing 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 capable enough,' he shares. {'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't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to show 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 going for it.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he explains, 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 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint grim 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 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 force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this collectively.'