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Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a just over two weeks after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in his last season in charge.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow 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 the defender thinks the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, coaches study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the gaffer and said we need to adjust tactically and play more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"