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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his fresh chapter as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of staving off a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, erupting in a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Our talk runs in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of glossy photos from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another envelope brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this really makes me very content,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in 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 hands-off approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He remained on the sidelines 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 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 test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his childhood 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 capable enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, fourth-tier football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers make bleak reading. Newport have won 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes 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 middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this collectively.'