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Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a just over two weeks after he guided the team to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the team ending up in a lowly 17th position in Postecoglou's final season in charge.

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

"He was a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my father and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

The following season, they won just 11 of their 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid 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 unbelievable football."

"However, managers study everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have answers to resolve it."

"On one occasion me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and suggested we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"