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'I estimate that the likelihood of us turning the season around are lower than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of averting a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be attainable,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, letting out laughter. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his playful character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion runs in different directions, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Among it is a note 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 envelope brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Until returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit 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 competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an curious error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong 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 pleasant.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 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 challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy 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 driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s determination 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 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 cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite stubborn. 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 had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' 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 percentage to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint sobering 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 secured three points 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two megs already, yes! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this as one.'