Spurs Defender Van de Ven Expresses Surprise At Postecoglou Dismissal

Spurs centre-back Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to dismiss ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge came to an end a mere over two weeks after he led the team to a win in the European final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the off-season, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He is a really good manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender stated on a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that fine start was halted with four losses in five games, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender believes the squad was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure at the back. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he explained.

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

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

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the gaffer and said we should change some things and be more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"