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Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to dismiss ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure came to an end a mere 16 days after he guided Tottenham to a win in the European final, securing the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

However, this continental triumph was not matched in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th place in his last campaign at the helm.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday.

"He is a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

"Later, when he was dismissed, I texted to my dad 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 offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 out of 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach 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 dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," 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 knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and suggested we should change some things and be more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"