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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his fresh chapter as manager of Newport County, and the daunting task of staving off a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him much more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be attainable,' he remarks.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'I guess that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his playful character across a colourful conversation. The discussion travels in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this really makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Until his move back 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 suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets were released, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept 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 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, 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 remained on the sidelines 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 modify anything.''

Fuchs values insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s determination originates in his early years 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 not do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see promise, I’m going for 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 fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking 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 long-ball, 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 general numbers make bleak reading. Newport have managed 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 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 valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this together.'