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Spurs defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Forest on Sunday.

"He was a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender stated on a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that brought a trophy to the club," he added.

"Later, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my dad and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager joined Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender thinks the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

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

"On one occasion me and Romero walked up to the manager and said we should change some things 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 sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"