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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure came to an end a just over two weeks after he led the team to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final season in charge.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Frank during the summer, but Spurs 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 still really like him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"But, coaches analyse everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to get out."

"On one occasion me and Romero walked up to the manager and said we need to change some things and play more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"