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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to dismiss former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian'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 club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th position in his last season at the helm.

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

"He was a fantastic 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's the manager that won silverware to the club," he added.

"Later, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my dad and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy 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 season tailed off, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two points.

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

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven thinks the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

"At the beginning with that system, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing unbelievable football."

"However, managers study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the manager and suggested we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"