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'I reckon that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his fresh chapter as boss of Newport County, and the immense task of staving off a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, breaking into a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. Our talk travels in multiple pathways, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another delivery brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Things like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

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. During that match the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets dropped, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, 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 change anything.''

Fuchs cherishes insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very motivated, 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 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 cannot do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle 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, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers present grim reading. Newport have secured three of 19 league matches and are without a victory 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It 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, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – 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 tackling this as one.'