{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Very Determined. When I Spot Potential, I'm Going for It'|Former Foxes Defender Christian Fuchs Speaks Candidly on League Two Task

'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favor.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his fresh chapter as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of preventing a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, erupting in laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion flows in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some post on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another envelope brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this makes me very content,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to redact 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.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 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 extra out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s determination comes from his early years 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 reveals. {'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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' 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 launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present bleak 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 won a game 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 earned a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

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, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two megs already, get in! I want us to see each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this collectively.'