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Spurs defender Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to dismiss ex-boss Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end a mere over two weeks after he guided the team to victory in the European final, delivering the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th place in his last campaign in charge.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday.

"He was a fantastic manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to the club," he added.

"Afterwards, 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.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five games, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid at the back. I don't like getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he said.

"Initially with that system, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

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

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the manager and said we need to adjust tactically and play more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"