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

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a mere 16 days after he led Tottenham to a win in the Europa League final, securing the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

However, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven stated on The Overlap podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he got sacked, I texted to my dad and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten league matches.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five games, and the team's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two-point margin.

The following season, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

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 defensive partner Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and people knew what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"At one point me and Romero walked up to the manager and suggested we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"