{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Pretty Headstrong. If I See Promise, I'm Making It Happen'|Former Foxes Defender Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on League Two Challenge

'The probability of a late surge is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favor.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his recent venture as manager of the League Two strugglers, 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 miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a winner's medal. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be possible,' he states.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, erupting in laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Discourse travels in different directions, from playing for the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He opens some post on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another envelope brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Prior to returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets came out, an amusing error was discovered. {'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 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 brought in 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 hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' 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 watched 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 considered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his childhood 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 capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, 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 show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven 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 data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers make bleak reading. Newport have won 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 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 earned a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two megs already, yes! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this together.'