🔗 Share this article

'The prospect of a late surge is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favor.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his new life as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of preventing a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be possible,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his playful 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 local barber.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another envelope brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this really makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching 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. During that match a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you see Claudio you envision an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs values insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Mindset

Fuchs’s determination originates in his upbringing 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 shares. {'There are people who let that defeat 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 can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Battle 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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' 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 percentage to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers present grim 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men secured a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this as one.'