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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of averting a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be achievable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse flows in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some mail on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another delivery brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this really makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline 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. On that occasion a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets came out, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at 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 envision an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it 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 values lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation comes from his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are comparisons 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 defeat 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 can not do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very determined. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two 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 make bleak reading. Newport have managed 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 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 garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, 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 thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two megs already, yes! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this together.'