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Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a mere 16 days after he guided the team to victory in the Europa League final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

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

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven told The Overlap podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he continued.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my father and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager joined Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender thinks the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about 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 secure at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the manager and suggested we need to change some things and be more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"