Tottenham Centre-Back Van de Ven Shares Shock At Ange Postecoglou Dismissal

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

The Australian's two-year tenure came to an end a mere 16 days after he led the team to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

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

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham are presently in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

"Later, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou arrived at Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

However, that fine start was halted with four losses in five games, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

The following season, they managed only 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender thinks the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked answers to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the gaffer and suggested 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 expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"