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Tottenham Hotspur defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to victory in the European final, securing the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

However, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th place in his last season at the helm.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the off-season, but Spurs are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday.

"He is a really good manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender stated on a podcast.

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

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager joined Tottenham from Celtic ahead of 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 defeats in five matches, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 out of 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender thinks the squad was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"But, coaches study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I walked up to the manager and suggested we need to adjust tactically and play more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"