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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a just over two weeks after he led Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

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

"He was a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven 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 continued.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my father and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four losses in five matches, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the squad lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, coaches analyse everything and people knew what we were doing. At times 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 manager and suggested we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"