{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Quite Headstrong. Whenever I Notice Promise, I'm Going for It'|Former Foxes Defender Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on Newport County Challenge

'The prospect of a late surge is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favor.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his fresh chapter as manager 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 miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion runs in multiple pathways, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He opens some mail on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another package brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very content,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards dropped, an curious error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to 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 imagine an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 values insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major 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 anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s drive originates in his childhood 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 overcome 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'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 determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers present grim reading. Newport have won 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 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 earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad 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 remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this as one.'