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

The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end a mere over two weeks after he guided Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the team finishing in a lowly 17th position in his last season in charge.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs are presently 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," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four losses in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou 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 counter-attack," he said.

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

"However, coaches study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to get out."

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the gaffer and suggested we should change some things and be more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"