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Spurs defender Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to dismiss former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end a mere over two weeks after he guided the team to victory in the European final, securing the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in his last campaign in charge.

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

"He is a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven stated on a podcast.

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

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two points.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender believes the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the manager.

"I enjoyed the attacking football at that time but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid at the back. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"But, managers study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to get out."

"On one occasion me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and suggested we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"