Spurs Defender Micky van de Ven Expresses Surprise At Ange Postecoglou Dismissal

Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to dismiss ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure came to an end a mere 16 days after he led Tottenham to a win in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

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

He was replaced by ex-Brentford manager Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs are presently in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

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

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went after - he is the coach that brought a trophy 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.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender thinks the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid at the back. 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 system. We were playing unbelievable football."

"But, managers study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"On one occasion Romero and I approached the gaffer and suggested we should adjust tactically and be more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"