🔗 Share this article

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end a just over two weeks after he led Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

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

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Spurs are presently in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

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

In the next campaign, they won just 11 out of 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero discussed 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 secure at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"However, coaches study everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to get out."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the manager and said we need to change some things and be more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"