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'I reckon that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are slimmer than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his recent venture as manager of Newport County, and the daunting task of preventing a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be achievable,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk runs in multiple pathways, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this really makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until his move back from North Carolina to accept 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 cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. '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.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. 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 envision an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his early years 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 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 cannot do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very determined. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Battle 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers make bleak 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men earned a precious 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 impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two pannas already, yes! I want us to see 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.'