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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably a longer shot than that historic 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as boss of Newport County, and the monumental task of preventing a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be achievable,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his playful character across a colourful conversation. The discussion flows in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another delivery brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets were released, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Experiences from Claudio, 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 appointed 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 did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you picture 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 didn’t get involved at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve studied 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 push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major 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 eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s drive comes from his upbringing 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 good enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers paint grim reading. Newport have secured 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 won a game 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 crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to regard each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this collectively.'