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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his recent venture as head coach of Newport County, and the daunting task of averting a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, letting out laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse runs in multiple pathways, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on 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 shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets came out, an curious error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs values experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s drive 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 discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, 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 prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very determined. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied 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 distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers paint sobering reading. Newport have secured 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 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 garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two pannas already, yes! I want us to regard each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this collectively.'