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Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a mere 16 days after he led Tottenham to victory in the European final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th place in his last campaign at the helm.

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

"He was a really good manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven stated on a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from 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 losses in five matches, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender believes the squad was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

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

"But, coaches analyse everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I approached the manager and said we should adjust tactically and be 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.'"