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'I reckon that the likelihood of us turning the season around are lower than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his fresh chapter as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of averting a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be attainable,' he states.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'I guess that's the part that's illogical, right?' he says, letting out laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk travels in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some post on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another delivery brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this makes me very content,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards dropped, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt 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 nice.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'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 holds dear 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 push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s determination comes from 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 can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite determined. 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 fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint bleak 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 tasted victory 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two megs already, yes! I want us to regard each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this collectively.'