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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just over two weeks after he led Tottenham to a win in the European final, delivering the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th place in his last season in charge.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, 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 The Overlap podcast.

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

"Afterwards, when he got sacked, I texted 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 Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that fine start was halted with four losses in five matches, and the team'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 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender thinks the squad lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

"At the beginning with that system, no team was used to playing against our style. We were playing unbelievable football."

"But, managers study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the manager and suggested we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure 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, make sure everybody knows.'"