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'I reckon that the odds of us transforming our fortunes are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his fresh chapter as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of staving off a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse travels in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another delivery brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very content,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching 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 David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards were released, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 holds dear experiences 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 test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our approach as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s drive stems from his early years 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 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 not do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite determined. If I see potential, I’m doing 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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers paint sobering reading. Newport have managed 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 won a game at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent injury-time equaliser with 10 men earned a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two pannas already, get in! 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 striving towards this together.'