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

The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end a just over two weeks after he guided the team to victory in the European final, delivering the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

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

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my dad and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five matches, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, coaches study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have solutions to resolve it."

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the gaffer and suggested we need to adjust tactically and play more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"