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'I reckon that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as head coach of Newport County, and the daunting task of averting a drop 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 champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be possible,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'I suppose that's the part that's illogical, right?' he states, erupting in a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse runs in multiple pathways, from playing for the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some post on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another envelope brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this genuinely makes me very content,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Until his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets were released, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you see Claudio you picture an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to observe training in Austria for the first week. He remained on the sidelines 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 experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very motivated, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Nature

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 capable enough,' he reveals. {'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 not do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, 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 general numbers make 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men earned a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this collectively.'