{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Pretty Stubborn. When I Spot Potential, I'm Making It Happen'|Ex-Leicester Star Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on League Two Task

'The prospect of a late surge is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his recent venture as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of staving off a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. Our talk flows in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another package brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets dropped, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt 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 fitting.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs values insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our approach as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s determination comes 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 shares. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty determined. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Analytical 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, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded 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 different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers present bleak reading. Newport have managed 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 garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two pannas already, get in! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this together.'