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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a mere over two weeks after he led Tottenham to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

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

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit 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 still really like him," Van de Ven stated on 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's the manager that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the squad lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

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

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

"But, coaches study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to get out."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and suggested we should change some things and be more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"