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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably more remote than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his new life as head coach of Newport County, and the monumental task of staving off a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, erupting in a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk runs in various tangents, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Until coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets were released, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. '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 fitting.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, 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 observed 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 additional out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Nature

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 good 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 can not 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 pretty headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m going for 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 boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind 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, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers paint bleak reading. Newport have managed 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men secured a valuable 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 build a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong 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 says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two nutmegs already, brilliant! 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.'