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'I estimate that the odds of us turning the season around are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his fresh chapter as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of averting a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be possible,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, erupting in a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk travels in multiple pathways, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another envelope brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Until coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. 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 light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it 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 modify anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our methodology 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 focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s determination comes from his early years 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 good enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m going for 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present sobering reading. Newport have secured 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two megs 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 working on this as one.'