Tottenham Centre-Back Micky van de Ven Expresses Shock Over Postecoglou Dismissal

Spurs defender Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

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

However, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th position in his last season at the helm.

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

"He was a fantastic manager. I still really like 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 odd how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager joined Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic before the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

The following season, they won just 11 of their 38 league matches.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender thinks the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

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

"However, coaches study everything and people knew what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to get out."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and suggested we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"