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'The probability of a dramatic turnaround is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his fresh chapter as head coach of Newport County, and the immense task of averting a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be achievable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, erupting in a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse runs in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He sorts through some post on his desk. Included is a letter 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 stash of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear 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 mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology 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 driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s drive originates in his childhood 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 shares. {'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 show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven 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 showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he points out, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers make bleak reading. Newport have won 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 secured three points at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two pannas 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 tackling this together.'