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'I reckon that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his fresh chapter as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of averting a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion travels in multiple pathways, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another envelope 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 given special attention. Things like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Until coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets dropped, an curious error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 change anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ 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 analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s drive comes from his early years 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 shares. {'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 show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Battle 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, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he explains, emphasizing 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 90-95% range,' he insists. {'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 probability to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers paint bleak reading. Newport have won 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this together.'