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

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated 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.

However, this European success was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th position in his last campaign in charge.

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

"He was a really good manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he is the coach that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

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

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five games, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a mere two-point margin.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure at the back. I don't like getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"However, managers study everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We didn't have answers to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and said we need to adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"