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'I estimate that the odds of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his fresh chapter as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of preventing a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be possible,' he remarks.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his playful character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion travels in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another envelope brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this really makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Until his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets came out, an curious error came to light. {'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 hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He remained on the sidelines 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 cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy 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 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 good enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle 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 data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers make grim 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 secured three points at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent last-gasp equaliser with 10 men earned a precious 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 fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two nutmegs 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 tackling this together.'