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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky 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 guided the team to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in his last campaign at the helm.

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

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

"Later, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my dad and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions 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.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four losses in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

The following season, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and revealed 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 being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

"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 opponents knew what we were doing. At times 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 gaffer and suggested we need to adjust tactically and play more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"