{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Pretty Headstrong. If I See Potential, I'm Doing It'|Former Foxes Defender Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on League Two Challenge

'The probability of a late surge is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his recent venture as manager of Newport County, and the daunting task of preventing a fall into non-league football. Here lies 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 mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he states.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, letting out a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Discourse flows in different directions, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another package brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit 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 a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned 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 test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s determination comes from his upbringing 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 discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome 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 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 quite headstrong. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers present bleak reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are winless 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men secured a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two pannas already, get in! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this together.'