Tottenham Defender Micky van de Ven Shares Shock Over Postecoglou Dismissal

Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to dismiss ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure came to an end a just over two weeks after he guided the team to victory in the Europa League final, securing the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th position in his last season at the helm.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Forest on Sunday.

"He was a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he got sacked, I texted to my father and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere 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 Van de Ven thinks the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid 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."

"However, managers study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to get out."

"At one point Romero and I approached the manager and suggested we need to change some things and play more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"