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

Postecoglou's spell in charge came to an end a mere 16 days after he guided the team to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the summer, but Tottenham are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Forest at the weekend.

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for 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 added.

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

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five games, and the team's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure Champions League qualification by a mere two-point margin.

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

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender believes the squad lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

"At the beginning under Postecoglou, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

"However, coaches study everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I approached the gaffer and said we need to change some things and play more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"