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Spurs defender Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge came to an end a mere 16 days after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

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

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to 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 behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

"Later, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my dad and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the club's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"However, managers analyse everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to get out."

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the manager and suggested we should adjust tactically and play more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"