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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a just over two weeks after he led the team to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

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

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the off-season, but Spurs are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest at the weekend.

"He is a really good 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 strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five games, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender believes the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

"At the beginning 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. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to get out."

"At one point Romero and I approached the gaffer and suggested we should 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.'"