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Tottenham Hotspur defender Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a just over two weeks after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, securing the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the team finishing in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

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

"He is a really good manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven stated on The Overlap podcast.

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

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Celtic ahead of 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.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender thinks the team was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou 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 said.

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

"However, managers study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I approached the gaffer and said we need to change some things and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"