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Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end a just over two weeks after he guided Tottenham to a win in the European final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

However, this continental triumph was not matched in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

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

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

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that brought a trophy to the club," 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 joined Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, eventually failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

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

Lacking a Plan B

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

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, managers study everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to resolve it."

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