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Spurs defender Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to dismiss former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just over two weeks after he guided the team to victory in the European final, delivering the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th position in Postecoglou's final season in charge.

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

"He was a really good manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my father and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender thinks the team lacked a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and people knew what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to get out."

"At one point me and Romero approached the gaffer and said we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"