🔗 Share this article

Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a mere 16 days after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

However, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the summer, but Spurs are presently in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

"He is a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

"Afterwards, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my father and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the club's season tailed off, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

"Initially with that system, no team was used to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

"However, managers study everything and people knew what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to get out."

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