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

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a mere 16 days after he led the team to a win in the European final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

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

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

"He is a fantastic manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven stated on a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that brought a trophy to the club," he continued.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my father and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four losses in five games, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

The following season, they won just 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, managers analyse everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"At one point me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and said we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"