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'I would say 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 talking about his new life as boss of Newport County, and the monumental task of preventing a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be possible,' he remarks.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, erupting in a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse runs in multiple pathways, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some post on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Until coming back 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. During that match David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards were released, an interesting 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 funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision 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 arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you imagine an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes experiences 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 approach as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his childhood 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 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 cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven 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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers make sobering reading. Newport have managed 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men secured a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two pannas already, get in! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this together.'