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'I estimate that the odds of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of averting a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he says, letting out a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Discourse travels in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another envelope brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this really makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets were released, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. '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 Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it 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 pondered: ‘How can I get additional 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 analogous place to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s determination stems from his upbringing 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 get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' 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 declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint grim reading. Newport have secured 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two megs already, yes! I want us to regard each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this as one.'