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Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to dismiss ex-boss Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a mere over two weeks after he guided the team to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

However, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th position in his last season at the helm.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

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

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that brought a trophy to the club," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style 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 games, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, managers study everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to resolve it."

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