🔗 Share this article

'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as head coach of Newport County, and the daunting task of preventing a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'I imagine that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, letting out laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse travels in multiple pathways, from playing for the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some post on his desk. Among it is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another package brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching 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. During that match David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets came out, an curious error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear 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 big part of our approach as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his childhood 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 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 prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers present bleak 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to regard each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this as one.'