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Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to dismiss ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the team ending up in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Frank during the off-season, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday.

"He is a really good 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 odd how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he added.

"Later, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my father and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure Champions League qualification by a mere two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

"Initially under Postecoglou, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

"But, coaches 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 answers to get out."

"At one point Romero and I approached the manager and said we should change some things and be more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"