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Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he led the team to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th place in his last season in charge.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Forest on Sunday.

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

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my father and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

The following season, they managed only 11 out of 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the squad lacked a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

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

"But, coaches study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked 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 manager and suggested we should change some things and be more defensive to ensure we win 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.'"