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'I reckon that the likelihood of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as manager of the League Two strugglers, and the immense 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 miraculous title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'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 element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he comments, erupting in a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk runs in multiple pathways, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He opens some mail on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of glossy photos from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another package brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this really makes me very happy,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets came out, an curious error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' found its way 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 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'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 modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear lessons learned 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 challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his upbringing 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 can't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Analytical 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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he points out, highlighting 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 mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint bleak 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 won a game 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 earned a precious 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 acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two pannas already, yes! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this collectively.'