Spurs Centre-Back Van de Ven Expresses Surprise Over Ange Postecoglou Sacking

Spurs centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's move to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's two-year tenure was terminated a just 16 days after he guided Tottenham to a win in the European final, delivering the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

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

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

"He is a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender stated on a podcast.

"I'm not sure how everything went behind the scenes. It came as a shock. It was odd how everything went afterwards - he is the coach that won silverware to the club," he added.

"Later, when he got sacked, I texted to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his attacking style of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten league matches.

However, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

The following season, they managed only 11 out of 38 Premier League fixtures.

Lacking a Plan B

Although he enjoyed the attacking approach, Netherlands international Van de Ven believes the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like what we have now with Thomas Frank. We are more secure at the back. I don't like getting exposed every game on the counter-attack," he explained.

"Initially under Postecoglou, no team was used to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

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

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