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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that historic 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of staving off a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him much more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be possible,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'I guess that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, erupting in laughter. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk flows in multiple pathways, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another envelope brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to his move back 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. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards dropped, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in 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 picture an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs cherishes experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our philosophy 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 focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s drive 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 good 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 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 very headstrong. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers present grim reading. Newport have secured three of 19 league matches and are without a victory in eight in all competitions. By the time of their next home game, they will have not secured three points 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 crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two nutmegs already, get in! 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 together.'