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

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a just 16 days after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, securing the team's first major trophy in 17 years.

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

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Forest at the weekend.

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

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

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my father and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two points.

The following season, they managed only 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the squad lacked a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the manager.

"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 don't like getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

"At the beginning with that system, 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. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked answers to get out."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and suggested we need to change some things and play more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"