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

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a mere over two weeks after he led Tottenham to a win in the Europa League final, securing the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

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

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

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

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

"Afterwards, 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.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

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

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven thinks the squad was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"But, managers analyse everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and suggested we should change some things 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.'"