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Spurs defender Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to dismiss ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure came to an end a just 16 days after he led the team to a win in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

However, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th position in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

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

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five matches, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two-point margin.

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

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender believes the squad lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style 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 defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the gaffer and said we need to adjust tactically and play more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"