Spurs Defender Van de Ven Expresses Shock At Postecoglou Dismissal

Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

However, this continental triumph was not matched in the domestic league, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th position in Postecoglou's final season in charge.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He was a fantastic manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven stated on The Overlap podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my dad and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou arrived at Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five games, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender believes the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

"Initially with that system, no team was accustomed to playing against our system. We were playing exceptional football."

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

"At one point Romero and I approached the manager and said we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to make sure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"