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'I would say that the likelihood 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 reflecting on his recent venture as head coach of Newport County, and the immense task of staving off a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he says, letting out a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk flows in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another delivery brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets came out, an curious 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.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'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 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 pondered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major 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 focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his childhood 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 good enough,' he discloses. {'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 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 pretty stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy 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 different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers present sobering reading. Newport have secured three of 19 league matches and are yet to win 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men earned a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, 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 middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two nutmegs 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 striving towards this collectively.'