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Spurs centre-back Micky 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 just over two weeks after he guided the team to a win in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in his last season in charge.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Forest on Sunday.

"He is a really good manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender stated on The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five matches, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender believes the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to get out."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the manager and suggested we should adjust tactically and play more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"