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Spurs defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to a win in the European final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th place in his last campaign at the helm.

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

"He was a fantastic manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. 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 sent a message to my dad and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five matches, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender believes the team lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

"Initially under Postecoglou, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

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

"On one occasion me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and suggested we need to adjust tactically and be 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, ensure everybody knows.'"