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

'I reckon that the likelihood of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' Christian Fuchs is discussing his new life as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of preventing a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. The discussion travels in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at 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 memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another package brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this really makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Until his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in 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 see Claudio you envision an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s drive originates in 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 good enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that overcome 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 demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed 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 data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present sobering reading. Newport have managed three of 19 league matches and are yet to win 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men garnered a precious point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'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 megs already, brilliant! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this as one.'