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Spurs defender Micky van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a mere 16 days after he guided the team to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Spurs are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven stated on The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two-point margin.

The following season, they managed only 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender thinks the squad was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero discussed taking a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"But, coaches analyse everything and people figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I approached the manager and said we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"