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Spurs defender Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he guided Tottenham to a win in the European final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th position in his last season in charge.

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

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two points.

The following season, they won just 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou 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 exceptional football."

"However, managers analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to get out."

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the gaffer and said we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"