🔗 Share this article

Spurs defender Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure came to an end a mere 16 days after he guided Tottenham to a win in the Europa League final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the team finishing in a lowly 17th position in his last campaign at the helm.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, 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," the Dutch defender stated on a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager joined Spurs from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

The following season, they won just 11 of their 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven thinks the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about 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 don't like getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, coaches study everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to get out."

"At one point me and Romero approached the gaffer and said we should change some things 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.'"