{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Quite Stubborn. If I See Promise, I'm Making It Happen'|Ex-Leicester Star Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on Newport County Task

'The probability of a late surge is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of preventing a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'I guess that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, erupting in laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion runs in multiple pathways, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another package brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this really makes me very content,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Until coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline 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 competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets were released, an curious error came to light. {'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 hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision 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 arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ 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 analogous place to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his childhood in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities 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 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 work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

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 boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers make grim reading. Newport have managed 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 earned a crucial point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs likes 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 component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two megs already, yes! I want us to view 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.'