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Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure came to an end a just 16 days after he guided the team to a win in the European final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

However, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th position in his last campaign in charge.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

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

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my dad and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two points.

The following season, 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 discussed adopting a more cautious style with the manager.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I don't like getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, coaches analyse everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We didn't have answers to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the manager and suggested we need to change some things and play more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"