{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Quite Determined. If I See Promise, I'm Making It Happen'|Former Foxes Defender Christian Fuchs Opens Up on League Two Task

'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favor.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his new life as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of averting a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a winner's medal. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Discourse runs in multiple pathways, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of glossy photos from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another delivery brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Until his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets dropped, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious 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 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, 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 observed 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 thought: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s drive stems 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 capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy 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 unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers paint grim 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 won a game 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this collectively.'