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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably less likely than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as head coach of Newport County, and the daunting task of averting a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse flows in multiple pathways, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He looks at some post on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another delivery brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this really makes me very content,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until returning from North Carolina to accept 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 cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to alter 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 additional out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Mindset

Fuchs’s drive comes from 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 reveals. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 not 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 determined. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers paint bleak reading. Newport have managed three of 19 league matches and are without a victory 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two megs already, yes! I want us to regard each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this as one.'