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'I estimate that the odds of us turning the season around are less than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as head coach of Newport County, and the daunting task of averting a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse travels in multiple pathways, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He looks at some mail on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another delivery brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Things like this really makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Until his move back from North Carolina to take on 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. That day the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept 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 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 observational approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He didn’t get involved at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve watched you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our approach 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.'

Roots and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s determination originates in 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 skilled enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very headstrong. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint grim 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 tasted victory 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 crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, 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 thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this collectively.'