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Spurs defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to dismiss ex-boss Postecoglou.

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

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

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham are presently in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"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 behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, 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 Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven thinks the squad was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, managers analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to get out."

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