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'I reckon that the chances of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, 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 much more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he states.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he says, breaking into laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. Our talk runs in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another delivery brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this really makes me very content,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Until his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards were released, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled 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 pleasant.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you see 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 watch 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs values insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ 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 comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s determination originates in his childhood 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 skilled 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 can not do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very determined. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven 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 data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'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 arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers present 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 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 secured a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, yes! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this as one.'