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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he led the team to a win in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the team finishing in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. 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.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

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

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 believes the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero discussed taking a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. 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 accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing unbelievable football."

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

"At one point Romero and I approached the manager and said we need to adjust tactically and be more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"