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'I would say that the odds of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his recent venture as boss of Newport County, and the monumental task of averting a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, breaking into a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion runs in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another envelope brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Things like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior 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. That day the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. 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 picture an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

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

Background and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s drive stems from his childhood 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 good enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m pretty determined. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he explains, 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 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers paint sobering reading. Newport have managed three of 19 league matches and are winless 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men earned a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this together.'