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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he guided the team to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He is a fantastic manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

"Later, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

"Initially under Postecoglou, no team was accustomed to playing against our system. We were playing unbelievable football."

"However, coaches study everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to get out."

"On one occasion me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and suggested we need to change some things and be more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"