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

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a just over two weeks after he guided the team to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

However, this European success was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th position in his last season in charge.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday.

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

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my dad and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender thinks the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"At one point me and Romero walked up to the manager and suggested we need to adjust tactically and be more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"