{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Very Stubborn. Whenever I Notice Possibility, I'm Making It Happen'|Former Foxes Defender Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on League Two Challenge

'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his fresh chapter as manager of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of staving off a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be achievable,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, letting out a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse travels in multiple pathways, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some post on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another delivery brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this really makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Prior to coming back 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 endured a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets came out, an curious error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle 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 a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 change anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned 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 challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s determination originates in 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 skilled enough,' he discloses. {'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't do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very headstrong. 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 previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he says, emphasizing 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 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers make grim reading. Newport have won 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 valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the boxes – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this together.'