🔗 Share this article

'I estimate that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his fresh chapter as manager of the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of staving off a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him far more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the part of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he says, erupting in a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his playful character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse travels in various tangents, from playing for the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another envelope brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very content,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to assume 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 shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards dropped, an curious error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled 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 nice.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He didn’t get involved 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 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 approach 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 focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s motivation stems 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 capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight 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 used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking 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, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present grim reading. Newport have won 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 secured three points 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 earned a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two nutmegs already, yes! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this collectively.'