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Spurs defender Micky van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just over two weeks after he led the team to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th position in his last campaign at the helm.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Forest at the weekend.

"He is a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he is the coach that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my father and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023-24 season, taking over from Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender believes the squad was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure at the back. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"But, managers study everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the manager and suggested we need to adjust tactically and play 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.'"