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'I estimate that the odds of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as manager 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, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he says, erupting in a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion travels in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Until coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets came out, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. '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 The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an older man, so experienced in the game, 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 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 mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s determination originates in his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are parallels to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires 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 highs,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied 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 chance to find its target than just going long 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 tasted victory at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men earned a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad 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 states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to see each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re working on this as one.'