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

Postecoglou's two-year tenure came to an end a mere over two weeks after he guided Tottenham to victory in the European final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the team finishing in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham are presently in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Forest at the weekend.

"He was a fantastic manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that brought a trophy to the club," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

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

The following season, they managed only 11 out of 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the squad lacked a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I don't like getting exposed every game on the break," 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 figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We didn't have answers to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and said we should change some things and be 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, ensure everybody knows.'"