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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably a longer shot than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his fresh chapter as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of preventing a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be possible,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, breaking into a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk runs in multiple pathways, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He opens some mail on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another delivery brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this really makes me very happy,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets came out, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled 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 nice.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you see Claudio you picture an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'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 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 thought: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ 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 similar situation to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s determination comes from his early years 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 skilled 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 can't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint grim reading. Newport have managed 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men secured a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, 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 bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the boxes – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this together.'