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'The probability of a late surge is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his fresh chapter as head coach of Newport County, and the monumental task of preventing a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be possible,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, erupting in laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. The discussion travels in multiple pathways, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some post on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another envelope brings a stash of old stickers, 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 pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Until returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management 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. During that match the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards were released, 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 amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian arrived at 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 seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it 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 holds dear experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get additional 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 decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s determination comes from his childhood in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be skilled enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical 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 many, many season bests,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers paint sobering 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 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to see each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this together.'