🔗 Share this article

Spurs defender Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

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

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th position in his last season in charge.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Forest at the weekend.

"He is a fantastic manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender stated on a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

"Later, 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.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined 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 first ten Premier League games.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender believes the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure defensively. I don't like getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

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

"But, coaches analyse everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to resolve it."

"At one point me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and said we need to change some things and play more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"