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Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge came to an end a just over two weeks after he led the team to victory in the European final, securing the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Forest at the weekend.

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he is the coach that brought a trophy to the club," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender believes the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he said.

"At the beginning under Postecoglou, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing unbelievable football."

"But, coaches study everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to get out."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and said we should change some things and be more defensive to ensure 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.'"