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

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a mere over two weeks after he guided the team to victory in the European final, securing the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final season in charge.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest at the weekend.

"He is a really good manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my dad 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 made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five matches, and the club's form deteriorated, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

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

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender thinks the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he said.

"Initially under Postecoglou, no team was used to playing against our system. We were playing unbelievable football."

"But, coaches study everything and people knew what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to get out."

"At one point me and Romero approached the gaffer and said we need to adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"