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Spurs defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to dismiss former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a mere over two weeks after he guided the team to a win in the European 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 place in Postecoglou's final season in charge.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs are presently in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

"He was a really good manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven stated on a podcast.

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

"Later, when he was dismissed, 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 ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 out of 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender thinks the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the manager.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the gaffer 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.'"