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Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a mere 16 days after he guided the team to a win in the Europa League final, securing the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

However, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th position in his last campaign at the helm.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he is the coach that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play 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 break," he explained.

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

"But, coaches study everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to get out."

"At one point me and Romero walked up to the manager and said we should 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.'"