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Spurs defender Van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th position in his last season at the helm.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham are presently in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He is a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he added.

"Later, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my dad and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two-point margin.

The following season, they won just 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid at the back. I don't like getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he said.

"At the beginning with that system, no team was used to playing against our system. We were playing unbelievable football."

"But, managers study everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have answers to get out."

"At one point Romero and I approached the manager and said we need to change some things and be 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 sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"