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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a mere 16 days after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, securing the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

However, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, 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 have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager 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.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

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

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

The following season, they managed only 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender thinks the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football 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 break," he explained.

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

"However, coaches analyse 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 answers to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the manager and said we need to adjust tactically and play more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"