🔗 Share this article

Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a just over two weeks after he led the team to victory in the European final, securing the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the team finishing in a disappointing 17th place in his last season in charge.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the off-season, but Spurs are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest at the weekend.

"He is a fantastic manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I don't know 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 Tottenham," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender believes the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid at the back. I don't like getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

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

"But, managers analyse everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers 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 like, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"