Spurs Centre-Back Van de Ven Shares Shock Over Ange Postecoglou Dismissal

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

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just over two weeks after he led the team to victory in the Europa League final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not mirrored in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

He was replaced by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Tottenham currently sit 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

"He is a fantastic manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know 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 added.

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my father and my friends and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

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

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and defensive partner Romero discussed adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more solid defensively. I don't like getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

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

"But, coaches study everything and people knew what we were doing. Sometimes we lacked a plan B and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

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