🔗 Share this article

'The probability of a dramatic turnaround is arguably less likely than that fabled 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 monumental task of averting a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, breaking into laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. Our talk flows in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another package brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets were released, an curious error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to change 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 additional out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his early years 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 skilled enough,' he shares. {'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 cannot do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint sobering 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men garnered a precious point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

In the Thick of It 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, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member 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 nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this together.'