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

Postecoglou's spell in charge came to an end a just 16 days after he guided the team to a win in the European final, securing the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the domestic league, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final season in charge.

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

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

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero discussed taking a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"But, coaches study everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to get out."

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