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'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his fresh chapter as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of preventing a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be possible,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'I imagine that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he comments, breaking into a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Discourse travels in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another package brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this really makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to coming 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 suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets dropped, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired 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 produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you picture an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant 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 motivated, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s motivation comes from 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 skilled enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers present 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 won a game 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 earned a crucial 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.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this as one.'