🔗 Share this article

Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a mere over two weeks after he led Tottenham to a win in the Europa League final, securing the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th place in his last campaign in charge.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, 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," Van de Ven stated on The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he added.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my dad and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten league matches.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the club's form deteriorated, eventually failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender thinks the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I don't like getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, coaches study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the manager and said we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"