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'I estimate that the chances of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his new life as head coach of Newport County, and the daunting task of preventing a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him far more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, erupting in a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk runs in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another envelope brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning 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 were on the end of a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards were released, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' found its way 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 move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you see Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s the complete opposite,' 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 change anything.''

Fuchs values experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘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 approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s motivation comes from his childhood 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 reveals. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle 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 data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers make bleak reading. Newport have won 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 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 valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved 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 striving towards this collectively.'