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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Ange 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 team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the off-season, 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 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. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

The following season, they won just 11 of their 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender thinks the squad lacked a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

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

"However, managers study 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 solutions to get out."

"At one point me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and suggested we need to change some things and play more defensive to make sure 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.'"