{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Pretty Stubborn. Whenever I Notice Promise, I'm Doing It'|Ex-Leicester Star Christian Fuchs Opens Up on Newport County Task

'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his fresh chapter as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of averting a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk travels in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another package brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this really makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards were released, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you picture an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to observe training in Austria for the first week. He remained on the sidelines 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 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 push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach 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.'

Origins and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s determination 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 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 not do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite headstrong. 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 previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just launching 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 secured three points 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 force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves 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 pannas already, brilliant! 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 striving towards this collectively.'