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

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a mere over two weeks after he guided the team to a win in the European final, delivering the team's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the team finishing in a lowly 17th position in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Forest on Sunday.

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

"Later, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my dad and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five matches, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender thinks the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he said.

"Initially with that system, no team was used to playing against our style. We were playing unbelievable football."

"However, coaches analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We didn't have answers to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I walked up to the manager and said we need to adjust tactically and be more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"