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Tottenham Hotspur defender Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he guided Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, securing the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

However, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the team finishing in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final season in charge.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Frank during the summer, but Spurs are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, 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 don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my father and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager joined Spurs from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

The following season, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender thinks the team lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure defensively. I don't like getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

"Initially with that system, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

"But, managers study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have answers to resolve it."

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