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

Postecoglou's spell in charge came to an end a mere over two weeks after he led the team to a win in the Europa League 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 ending up in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Forest at the weekend.

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

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten league matches.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four losses in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a mere two-point margin.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes 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 enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. I don't like getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he said.

"Initially under Postecoglou, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing unbelievable football."

"However, managers analyse everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to get out."

"At one point Romero and I approached the manager and said we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"