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Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just over two weeks after he led the team to victory in the Europa League final, securing the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

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

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven 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 added.

"Later, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my dad and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the club's season tailed off, eventually missing out on 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 the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

"At the beginning under Postecoglou, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing unbelievable football."

"But, managers study everything and people figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We didn't have answers to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I approached the gaffer and suggested we need to 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 want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"