{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Quite Determined. Whenever I Notice Promise, I'm Going for It'|Former Foxes Defender Christian Fuchs Opens Up on Newport County Task

'The probability of a dramatic turnaround is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his fresh chapter as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of staving off a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be possible,' he remarks.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Our talk runs in different directions, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some post on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this really makes me very happy,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching 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 a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets came out, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. '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.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 values 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 push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s motivation originates in 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 skilled enough,' he reveals. {'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 can't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m very determined. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Fight 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers make 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad 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 member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two megs already, yes! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this collectively.'