{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Very Headstrong. If I See Possibility, I'm Doing It'|Ex-Leicester Star Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on League Two Mission

'I estimate that the likelihood of us reviving our campaign are less than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is talking about his fresh chapter as manager of Newport County, and the immense task of averting a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be possible,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the element of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he states, letting out laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his playful character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion flows in different directions, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some mail on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Until returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards came out, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled 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 Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined 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 elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it 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 holds dear lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his early years 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 reveals. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers make bleak 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the boxes – 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 all in this together, we’re striving towards this as one.'