'The prospect of a late surge is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favor.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his fresh chapter as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of staving off a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be attainable,' he remarks.
The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, erupting in laughter. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion flows in multiple pathways, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a local barber.
He looks at some mail on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Things like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he concludes.
Until 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 shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets dropped, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'
His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined 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 set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' 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 watched 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 considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant 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 eager to prove himself.'
Fuchs’s determination comes from 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 discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs 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 show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite determined. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'
Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'
The broader numbers make sobering 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 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 force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'
By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative 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 component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two megs already, get in! I want us to regard each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this together.'
Lena Hoffmann is a seasoned journalist with a passion for uncovering stories that matter, specializing in German current affairs and digital media trends.
