Spurs Defender Van de Ven Expresses Surprise Over Ange Postecoglou Dismissal

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

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he guided the team to a win in the European final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

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

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

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

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my father and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five games, and the club's season tailed off, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender thinks the squad was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

"At the beginning with that system, no team was used to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

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

"On one occasion Romero and I walked up to the manager and said we should change some things and play more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"