{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Very Stubborn. When I Spot Promise, I'm Doing It'|Former Foxes Defender Christian Fuchs Opens Up on League Two Challenge

'The probability of a dramatic turnaround is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of staving off a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's not logical, right?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Discourse travels in multiple pathways, from playing for the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another delivery brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Until coming 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 endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards came out, an curious error came to light. {'You need to edit 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 pleasant.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

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

Origins and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his upbringing 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 overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he says, emphasizing 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 insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers make bleak reading. Newport have secured three of 19 league matches and are without a victory 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men secured a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in 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 a collective, we’re striving towards this collectively.'