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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his new life as head coach of Newport County, and the immense task of staving off a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be achievable,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. The discussion flows in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this really makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards came out, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Insights from Claudio, 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 appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. 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 look at 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 says. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned 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 test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant 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 Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s drive comes from his early years 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 capable 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 can't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty determined. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers present bleak reading. Newport have managed 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 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 earned a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to regard 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 as one.'