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'I estimate that the odds of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his fresh chapter as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of averting a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, 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 post on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another package brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this really makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They got wrong 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 decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear lessons learned 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 push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities 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 cannot do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he points out, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The general 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 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 power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two pannas 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 one team, we’re working on this as one.'