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Spurs defender Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just over two weeks after he led the team to victory in the European final, delivering the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

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

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Spurs are presently in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest at the weekend.

"He is a fantastic manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender stated on The Overlap podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he continued.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my dad and my friends 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, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, amassing 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 failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed 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 secure defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, coaches study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the manager and said we need to adjust tactically and play more defensive to make sure 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, ensure everybody knows.'"