{Christian Fuchs: 'I'm Pretty Stubborn. If I See Possibility, I'm Making It Happen'|Ex-Leicester Star Christian Fuchs Opens Up on Newport County Challenge

'The probability of a dramatic turnaround is arguably more remote than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as head coach of Newport County, and the monumental task of averting a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'I guess that's the part that's not logical, right?' he comments, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse runs in different directions, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some post on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this makes me very happy,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior 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. On that occasion the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets came out, an curious error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. '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 pleasant.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'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 alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s drive originates in his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be good enough,' he discloses. {'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 can't do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite determined. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he points out, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, 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 overarching numbers make grim reading. Newport have won 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two pannas already, yes! I want us to view 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 collectively.'