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'I would say that the chances of us reviving our campaign are slimmer than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as manager of Newport County, and the monumental task of preventing a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, erupting in a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. The discussion runs in different directions, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He opens some mail on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this makes me very content,' he states.

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 suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled 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 fitting.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 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 thought: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test 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 similar situation to where I am now … very motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s motivation comes from his early years 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 skilled enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, 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 character is: I’m very stubborn. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Analytical 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 boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind 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 different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers present sobering reading. Newport have secured 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 secured a precious point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to see each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this as one.'