{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Very Headstrong. If I See Possibility, I'm Doing It'|Ex-Leicester Star Christian Fuchs Opens Up on League Two Task

'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his new life as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of preventing a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, erupting in a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse flows in different directions, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He looks at some post on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another envelope brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very content,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to edit 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 fitting.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs holds dear experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s determination comes from his early years 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 skilled enough,' he shares. {'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 not do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very stubborn. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Fight 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, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers paint grim reading. Newport have won 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men secured a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two megs already, yes! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this as one.'