{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Pretty Determined. If I See Potential, I'm Going for It'|Ex-Leicester Star Christian Fuchs Opens Up on League Two Task

'I would say that the chances of us turning the season around are lower than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his fresh chapter as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of preventing 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 gave him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's not logical, right?' he comments, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion flows in different directions, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another package brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Until returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets came out, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear 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 challenge them mentally?’’ 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 motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s drive stems from his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are comparisons to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle 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, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' 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 physical, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers make grim reading. Newport have secured three of 19 league matches and are without a victory in eight in all competitions. By the time of their next home game, they will have not tasted victory 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 power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys 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 member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to regard each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re working on this as one.'