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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a mere 16 days after he guided the team to a win in the Europa League final, securing the club'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 lowly 17th position in his last season in charge.

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

"He is a fantastic manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven told The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my dad and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

However, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two-point margin.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

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

"At one point Romero and I approached the gaffer 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 want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"