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'I estimate that the chances of us turning the season around are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his new life as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of averting a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he states, letting out a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion runs in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another delivery brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this really makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until coming 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 endured a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He didn’t get involved 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 cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major 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 motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his early years 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 skilled enough,' he reveals. {'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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers present 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 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 power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It 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 heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this as one.'