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Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to dismiss 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, delivering the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Forest on Sunday.

"He was a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager joined Spurs from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, taking over from Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender believes the team lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

"Initially with that system, no team was accustomed to playing against our system. We were playing unbelievable football."

"But, managers study everything and people figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the manager and said we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"