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Tottenham Hotspur defender Van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he led the team to a win in the European final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th place in his last season in charge.

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

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

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

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing 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 was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

The following season, they managed only 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero discussed taking a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I enjoyed the attacking football 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 said.

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

"But, managers study everything and people figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to get out."

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