Tottenham Defender Micky van de Ven Shares Shock At Postecoglou Sacking

Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge came to an end a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to victory 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 disappointing 17th place in his last season at the helm.

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

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

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Celtic before the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the team's season tailed off, eventually failing to secure Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven thinks the squad was missing a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play at that time but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I don't like getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

"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. At times we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We didn't have solutions to get out."

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