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'I estimate that the chances of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his new life as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of preventing a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion runs in multiple pathways, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another package brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this really makes me very happy,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets were released, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt 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 pleasant.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was 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 worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs values insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach 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 Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation originates in 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 shares. {'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 cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers paint 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 won a game 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 garnered a precious 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 build a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes 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 thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – 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 all in this together, we’re striving towards this collectively.'