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Tottenham Hotspur defender Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge came to an end a just 16 days after he guided the team to a win in the European final, delivering the club's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

However, 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 ex-Brentford manager Frank during the off-season, but Spurs are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest at the weekend.

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

"I don't know how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went after - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he continued.

"Later, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 league matches.

Nevertheless, that fine start was halted with four losses in five games, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid defensively. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to get out."

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