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Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to dismiss ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he guided Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, securing the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th place in his last campaign at the helm.

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

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

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he got sacked, I texted to my dad and my friends 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 made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

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

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

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the team lacked a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"However, coaches study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to get out."

"At one point Romero and I approached the gaffer and suggested we need to adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"