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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four losses in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a mere two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, managers analyse everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and said we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"