🔗 Share this article

'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his fresh chapter as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of averting a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he comments, erupting in laughter. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Our talk runs in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some mail on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another package brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to accept 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. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, 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 amusing 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 a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so long in the business, 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 remained on the sidelines 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 holds dear lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big 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 focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s determination originates in his early years 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 capable enough,' he shares. {'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 can't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very determined. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint grim reading. Newport have secured 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 secured three points 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 precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes 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 thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, yes! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this as one.'