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'I reckon that the odds of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his fresh chapter as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of staving off a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be possible,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse travels in multiple pathways, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another delivery brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Prior to 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 were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards were released, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious 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 a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 cherishes experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major 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 focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s drive comes from his childhood 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 good enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very headstrong. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers present bleak 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 tasted victory 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 garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'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 bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two pannas already, get in! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this together.'