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'I reckon that the likelihood of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his recent venture as manager of Newport County, and the daunting task of preventing a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's not logical, right?' he comments, erupting in laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse flows in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another delivery brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this really makes me very happy,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Until returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards were released, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 modify anything.''

Fuchs values experiences 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 significant part of our philosophy 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 driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s drive 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 capable enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, 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 demonstrate that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m very stubborn. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers present bleak reading. Newport have won 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two megs already, yes! 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 as one.'