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Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a mere 16 days after he led the team to victory in the European final, delivering the team's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

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

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs are presently in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told a 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 brought a trophy to the club," he continued.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my dad and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five games, and the team's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid defensively. I don't like getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

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

"However, managers study 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 change some things and be more defensive to make sure 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.'"