Spurs Defender Van de Ven Expresses Surprise Over Postecoglou Sacking

Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he guided Tottenham to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

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

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the off-season, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday.

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

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that brought a trophy to the club," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Spurs from Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, taking over from Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting an impressive points haul from his first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four defeats in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two-point margin.

In the next campaign, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the team lacked a "plan B" and disclosed he and defensive partner Cristian Romero discussed adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I liked the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more solid defensively. I dislike being vulnerable every game on the counter-attack," he said.

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

"However, managers analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. At times we lacked a backup plan and we were being caught out. We lacked solutions to get out."

"On one occasion Romero and I walked up to the gaffer and said we should adjust tactically and play more defensive to ensure we secure victory in those games. He was responded, 'I understand with you but I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"