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'I would say that the odds of us transforming our fortunes are lower than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as head coach of Newport County, and the daunting task of preventing a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be possible,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, letting out laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse travels in multiple pathways, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another envelope brings a stash 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 really makes me very happy,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Until returning from North Carolina to accept 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 shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to censor 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.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs holds dear experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major 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 driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s determination comes from his upbringing 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 skilled enough,' he reveals. {'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 can't do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very stubborn. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Analytical 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 boots 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 bests,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers present grim 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men earned a precious point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the boxes – two megs already, yes! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this collectively.'