Spurs Defender Micky van de Ven Shares Surprise At Postecoglou Sacking

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

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a just over two weeks after he guided the team to a win in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in 17 years.

Yet, this continental triumph was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a lowly 17th position in Postecoglou's final season at the helm.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Frank during the summer, but Spurs are presently in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

"He was a really good manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven told a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"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 dislike being vulnerable 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, managers study everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a plan B and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to get out."

"At one point me and Romero walked up to the gaffer and suggested we should change some things and be more defensive to make sure we win 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.'"