🔗 Share this article

Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a mere 16 days 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 team finishing in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the off-season, but Spurs are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two points.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

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

"At one point Romero and I approached the manager and said we should adjust tactically and play 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 sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"