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'I estimate that the odds of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as manager of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of staving off a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be achievable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, breaking into laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse travels in multiple pathways, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another envelope brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Things like this makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Until returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets came out, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs values insights gained 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 challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s drive stems from his upbringing 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 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'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 chance to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers paint sobering 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 precious 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 relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'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 getting involved in the drills – two megs already, get in! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this together.'