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Spurs defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end a mere over two weeks after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

However, this continental triumph was not matched in the domestic league, with the team finishing in a disappointing 17th position in his last season in charge.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Frank during the off-season, but Spurs are presently in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

"He was 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 backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he is the coach that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my dad and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the team's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender thinks the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

"At the beginning under Postecoglou, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

"However, coaches analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I walked up to the manager and suggested 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.'"