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Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a just over two weeks after he led Tottenham to a win in the European final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th place in his last campaign at the helm.

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

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender thinks the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate 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 system. We were playing unbelievable football."

"But, managers study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to get out."

"At one point Romero and I approached the gaffer and said we should adjust tactically and play more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"