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'I would say that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his recent venture as head coach of Newport County, and the immense task of averting a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be possible,' he states.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he says, letting out a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse travels in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel 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 offering encouragement, along with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another envelope brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this makes me very happy,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets were released, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an older man, so experienced in the game, 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 stayed out of it 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 modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s determination stems from his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be capable enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that defeat 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 not do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight 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, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy 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 unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers make grim reading. Newport have managed 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 tasted victory 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 force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career 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 in here,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two megs already, yes! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this collectively.'