Spurs Centre-Back Micky van de Ven Expresses Shock At Ange Postecoglou Sacking

Spurs defender Van de Ven has revealed he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to dismiss former manager Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just over two weeks after he guided Tottenham to victory in the European final, delivering the club's first major trophy in nearly two decades.

However, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the team ending up in a disappointing 17th place in Postecoglou's final campaign in charge.

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

"He was a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender stated on a podcast.

"I don't know how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that brought a trophy to the club," he added.

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

Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle

The Australian manager joined Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the team's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

The following season, they won just 11 of their 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed Postecoglou's style, Dutch international Van de Ven believes the squad lacked a "alternative strategy" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero discussed taking a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou but I appreciate what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure defensively. I don't like getting exposed every game on the break," he explained.

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

"However, coaches analyse everything and opponents knew what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a plan B and we were getting exposed. We didn't have solutions to resolve it."

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the gaffer and said we should change some things and play more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was like, 'I understand with you but I want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"