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

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a mere 16 days after he guided the team to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th position in his last campaign at the helm.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

"He was a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that brought a trophy to the club," he added.

"Later, when he was dismissed, I texted to my dad and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the squad lacked a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero discussed taking a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou 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 break," he explained.

"At the beginning under Postecoglou, no team was used to playing against our style. We were playing unbelievable football."

"However, coaches study everything and people figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to resolve it."

"On one occasion me and Romero walked up to the manager and suggested we need to change some things and play more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"