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'I would say that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are lower than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his fresh chapter as manager of Newport County, and the immense task of averting a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, breaking into a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. The discussion runs in various tangents, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another envelope brings a collection 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. 'Stuff like this really makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards were released, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled 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.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs values experiences 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 test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our approach 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 motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s determination stems from his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be good enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he points out, 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 mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint bleak reading. Newport have managed 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 won a game 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 earned a precious point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to see each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this as one.'