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Tottenham Hotspur defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a mere 16 days after he guided the team to victory in the Europa League final, securing the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest at the weekend.

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my dad and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager joined Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten league matches.

However, that fine start was halted with four losses in five games, and the team's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and defensive partner Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, coaches study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"At one point me and Romero approached the gaffer and said we should change some things and play 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 handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"