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Spurs defender Micky van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just over two weeks after he led Tottenham to a win in the Europa League final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, this continental triumph was not matched in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th position in his last campaign in charge.

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

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

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two points.

The following season, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

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

"But, coaches study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have answers to resolve it."

"At one point me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and suggested we need to change some things 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.'"