🔗 Share this article

'I would say that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are slimmer than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his fresh chapter as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of averting a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be achievable,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I guess that's the part that's not logical, right?' he says, erupting in laughter. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. The discussion travels in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He looks at some mail on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another envelope brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Until returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards came out, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs values experiences 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 major part of our philosophy 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 eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s motivation comes 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 discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, 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 prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Fight 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers present grim reading. Newport have managed 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, yes! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re working on this together.'