{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Pretty Headstrong. Whenever I Notice Potential, I'm Going for It'|Ex-Leicester Star Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on League Two Task

'The probability of a dramatic turnaround is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as manager of Newport County, and the daunting task of staving off a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be possible,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, breaking into laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. Discourse flows in multiple pathways, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some post on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a hoard 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 genuinely makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Until his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets were released, an curious error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong 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.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired 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 did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'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 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 thought: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s determination stems 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 capable enough,' he reveals. {'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't do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Battle 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 data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he explains, highlighting 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 physical, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers paint bleak reading. Newport have secured 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 won a game 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 garnered 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 build a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two pannas 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 a collective, we’re working on this collectively.'