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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he led the team to victory in the European final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th place in his last season in charge.

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

"He was a fantastic manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to the club," he added.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, 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 enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender thinks the squad lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, managers study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to resolve it."

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