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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 favour.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his new life as manager of the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of staving off a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the element of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he states, letting out a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion runs in various tangents, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another envelope brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Until his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards were released, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear insights gained 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 psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s drive originates in 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 skilled enough,' he reveals. {'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 can't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite headstrong. 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 previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers present 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this as one.'