{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Quite Stubborn. Whenever I Notice Potential, I'm Doing It'|Former Foxes Defender Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on Newport County Mission

'I would say that the likelihood of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of averting a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be possible,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the part of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he says, erupting in a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion runs in multiple pathways, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He opens some mail on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this really makes me very content,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt 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.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an older man, so long in the business, 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 didn’t get involved 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned 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 push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our philosophy 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 focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s determination 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 overcome 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't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality 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 formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'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 launching it all the time.'

The general numbers paint 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men secured a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career 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 inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two pannas already, get in! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this together.'