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'I estimate that the chances of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his fresh chapter as manager of Newport County, and the immense task of averting a fall 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 gave him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, breaking into a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his engaging 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 barber in the area.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another package brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets came out, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 change anything.''

Fuchs values 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 major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s drive comes from his upbringing 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 capable enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot do this, you cannot 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 promise, I’m doing it.'

Analytical 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, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers present sobering reading. Newport have won 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re working on this collectively.'