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Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Micky van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Postecoglou.

The Australian's two-year tenure was terminated a just over two weeks after he led Tottenham to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

However, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th position in his last season in charge.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the off-season, but Tottenham are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday.

"He is a really good manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven stated on a podcast.

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

"Afterwards, when he was dismissed, I texted to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager arrived at Spurs from Celtic before the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that fine start was halted with four losses in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

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

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Dutch international the defender thinks the squad was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football at that time but I like what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid at the back. I dislike getting exposed every game on the break," he said.

"At the beginning under Postecoglou, no team was accustomed to playing against our system. We were playing unbelievable football."

"But, coaches analyse everything and people figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We lacked solutions to get out."

"At one point me and Romero approached the gaffer and said we need to 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, make sure everybody knows.'"