{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Pretty Determined. If I See Promise, I'm Doing It'|Former Foxes Defender Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on League Two Mission

'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of staving off a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be achievable,' he states.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, letting out a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his playful character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk travels in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He opens some post on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this genuinely makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Until his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets came out, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, 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 brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs holds dear insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy 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 anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s drive comes from 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 discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat 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 demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very headstrong. If I see potential, I’m going for 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 opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present 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 dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – 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 one team, we’re tackling this together.'