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Tottenham Hotspur defender Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a mere 16 days after he guided Tottenham to victory in the European final, securing the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the team finishing in a lowly 17th position in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

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

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

However, that fine start was halted with four losses in five matches, and the team's season tailed off, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 of their 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven thinks the squad lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play 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 under Postecoglou, no team was accustomed to playing against our system. We were playing unbelievable football."

"However, coaches study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers 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 agree with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"