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

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

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he led Tottenham to a win in the Europa League final, securing the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the team finishing in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign at the helm.

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

"He was a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. It came as a shock. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to the club," he added.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my father and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that fine start was halted with four defeats in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Netherlands international the defender thinks the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the manager.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

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

"However, managers analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we didn't really have a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to resolve it."

"At one point Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and said we should adjust tactically and play more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"