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Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just over two weeks after he guided Tottenham to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

However, this European success was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th place in his last campaign at the helm.

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

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

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," 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.'"

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the club's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two-point margin.

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

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, coaches analyse everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and said we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"