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'I would say that the chances of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of staving off a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he says, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion runs in multiple pathways, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some post on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another package brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Things like this genuinely makes me very content,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Until coming back from North Carolina to take on 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 shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets were released, an curious error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. '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.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was 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 heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ 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 analogous place to where I am now … very motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s motivation comes from his upbringing 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 capable enough,' he reveals. {'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 can not do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty determined. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed 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 fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present bleak reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are without a victory 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 garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two megs already, yes! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this as one.'