Spurs Centre-Back Micky van de Ven Expresses Surprise Over Ange Postecoglou Dismissal

Spurs defender Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

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

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the team ending up in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final season in charge.

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest at the weekend.

"He was a fantastic manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. 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 father and my friends and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a mere two points.

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

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender thinks the squad was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed taking a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, managers analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We didn't have answers to get out."

"At one point me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and said we need to change some things and play more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"