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Spurs defender Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to a win in the European final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th place in his last season at the helm.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Spurs currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Forest at the weekend.

"He is a fantastic manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender stated on The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he continued.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten league matches.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

The following season, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid at the back. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

"At the beginning with that system, no team was accustomed to playing against our system. We were playing exceptional football."

"But, coaches analyse everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and suggested we need to adjust tactically and be more defensive to make sure we secure victory in 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.'"