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Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's move to dismiss former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the team finishing in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

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

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he added.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my father and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, managers study everything and people figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to get out."

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