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

The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Frank during the off-season, but Spurs currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest at the weekend.

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven stated on a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went after - 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.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 of their 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," 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 people figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the gaffer and said 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.'"