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Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to dismiss former manager Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a just over two weeks after he led the team to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the off-season, but Spurs are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Forest at the weekend.

"He is a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender stated on a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange 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 mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a mere two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 out of 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender thinks the team was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. 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, coaches analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I walked up to 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 want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"