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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his recent venture as manager of Newport County, and the monumental task of staving off a drop 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 a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, breaking into laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. The discussion runs in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another envelope brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this really makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Until returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured 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 says. But when the teamsheets were released, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. '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 pleasant.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'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 cherishes insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s determination originates in his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be skilled enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Analytical 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 fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'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 probability to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint sobering reading. Newport have secured 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 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 secured a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes 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 component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, indicating 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 unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re working on this together.'