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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his recent venture as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of preventing a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, erupting in a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Our talk flows in different directions, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some post on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another delivery 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. Things like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter 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 faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards were released, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, 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 remained on the sidelines at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve studied you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push 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 similar situation to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Mindset

Fuchs’s determination originates in 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 skilled enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very stubborn. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers make 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 tasted victory 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 earned a crucial point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, 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 middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re working on this collectively.'