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'I estimate that the odds of us turning the season around are slimmer than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of preventing a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion runs in multiple pathways, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some post on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets came out, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They got wrong 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 pleasant.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 change anything.''

Fuchs cherishes experiences 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 approach as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s drive originates in 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 good enough,' he discloses. {'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 not do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very headstrong. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers make 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 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 earned a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It 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 thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two megs 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 one team, we’re working on this as one.'