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Spurs defender Micky van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a mere 16 days after he guided Tottenham to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the team finishing in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final season in charge.

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

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

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

"Later, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually failing to secure Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven thinks the team lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, coaches study everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to get out."

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