Tottenham Defender Micky van de Ven Expresses Surprise At Postecoglou Sacking

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

The Australian's spell in charge came to an end a mere over two weeks after he led Tottenham to victory 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 Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th place in his last campaign at the helm.

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

"He was a really good manager. I still really like him," the Dutch defender told a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went after - he is the coach that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five games, and the club's season tailed off, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 of their 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international the defender believes the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I liked the attacking football at that time but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

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

"But, 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 didn't have answers to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I walked up to the manager and suggested we should change some things and be more defensive to ensure we win those games. He was responded, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"