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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his new life as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of averting a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be possible,' he remarks.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he says, erupting in a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse runs in various tangents, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another package brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets were released, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Lessons from Ranieri, 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 the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 change anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Character

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 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 not do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty determined. If I see possibility, 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 opens his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'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 find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present sobering reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are without a victory 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial 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 build a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative 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 remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two pannas already, yes! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this collectively.'