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Tottenham Hotspur defender 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 16 days after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

However, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th position in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Frank during the summer, but Spurs are presently in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Forest on Sunday.

"He was a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender stated on The Overlap podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager joined Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five games, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

The following season, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, coaches study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to get out."

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the manager 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 want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"