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Tottenham Hotspur defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure came to an end a just 16 days after he led the team to victory in the Europa League final, securing the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He is a really good manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender stated on The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my father and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the club's form deteriorated, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"However, managers study everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

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