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Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to dismiss former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

However, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th position in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He is a really good manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven stated on a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the team's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two points.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team lacked a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid at the back. I don't like 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, managers analyse everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to get out."

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the gaffer and said we should change some things and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"