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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a mere over two weeks after he led Tottenham to a win in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

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

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

"He is a really good manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

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

However, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the team's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two points.

The following season, they managed only 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender thinks the squad was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid at the back. I dislike 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 exceptional football."

"But, coaches study everything and people figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I approached the gaffer and suggested we should adjust tactically and play more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"