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Spurs defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure came to an end a mere over two weeks after he guided the team to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th position in Postecoglou's final 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, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to the club," he continued.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four losses in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two points.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 of their 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender thinks the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid at the back. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, managers analyse everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the manager and said we need to change some things and play more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"