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Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to dismiss ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a mere 16 days after he led Tottenham to victory in the European final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in his last season at the helm.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the summer, but Tottenham are presently in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham 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. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, 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 arrived at Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

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

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Romero discussed taking a more defensive approach with the coach.

"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 dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"However, coaches study everything and people figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"On one occasion me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and said we need to change some things and play more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"