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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he guided Tottenham to victory in the European final, securing the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

However, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday.

"He is a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender stated on a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my father and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager joined Spurs from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, taking over from Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 out of 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid at the back. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

"Initially with that system, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

"But, managers study everything and people figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have solutions to get out."

"At one point Romero and I approached the gaffer and said we need to adjust tactically and play more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"