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

'I reckon that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as boss of Newport County, and the daunting task of staving off a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, 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 showed that the unthinkable can be possible,' he states.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion flows in multiple pathways, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of glossy photos from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Things like this really makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets came out, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He didn’t get involved 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 extra out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s determination stems from his childhood in Neunkirchen. {'There are parallels to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be good enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot do this, you can't 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 determined. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle 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, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint grim reading. Newport have secured 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 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 earned a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'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 bad with that?' He ended his playing career 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 inside,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two megs already, get in! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this collectively.'