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

The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end a mere 16 days after he guided Tottenham to a win in the Europa League 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 team finishing in a lowly 17th place in his last campaign in charge.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest at the weekend.

"He was a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

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

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my dad 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, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 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 club's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

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

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, coaches study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to get out."

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the gaffer and said we need to adjust tactically and play more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"