🔗 Share this article

'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his new life as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of averting a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk flows in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another envelope brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Things like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards came out, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences 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 brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch 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 anything but,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs cherishes experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our methodology as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s drive stems from 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 shares. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite determined. 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 previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint grim reading. Newport have managed 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 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, 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 thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two pannas already, get in! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this collectively.'