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Spurs defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to dismiss ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

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

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in his last season at the helm.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He is a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he continued.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender believes the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"However, managers study everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to get out."

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