🔗 Share this article

Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's move to dismiss ex-boss Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a just over two weeks after he guided Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

However, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th place in his last campaign in charge.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham are presently in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He is a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Tottenham 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 first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender thinks the squad lacked a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure defensively. 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 system. We were playing exceptional football."

"But, coaches study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have solutions to resolve it."

"On one occasion me and Romero 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 want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"