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Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge came to an end a just 16 days after he guided Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, securing the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

However, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

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

"He is a really good manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

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

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my father and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs 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 opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to get out."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the manager and said we need to change some things and be more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"