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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably a longer shot than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his recent venture as boss of Newport County, and the daunting task of averting a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he comments, erupting in a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse travels in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this really makes me very content,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets came out, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled 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 pleasant.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s drive originates in 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 defeat 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 work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty determined. If I see potential, 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 fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he points out, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers paint grim 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 garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two pannas already, yes! 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 collectively.'