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

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he guided the team to a win in the Europa League final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to 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. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten league matches.

However, that fine start was halted with four losses in five games, and the team's season tailed off, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

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

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou 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 counter-attack," he explained.

"At the beginning with that system, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

"But, coaches study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and suggested we need to change some things and be more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"