Tottenham Centre-Back Van de Ven Expresses Shock Over Ange Postecoglou Dismissal

Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to dismiss ex-boss Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he guided Tottenham to victory in the European final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in nearly two decades.

Yet, this continental triumph was not matched in the Premier League, with the side finishing in a disappointing 17th position in his last campaign at the helm.

He was succeeded by former Brentford boss Thomas Frank during the summer, but Spurs are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the weekend.

"He is a really good manager. I have a lot of respect for 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 strange how everything went afterwards - he's the manager that won silverware to Tottenham," he added.

"Later, when he was dismissed, I sent a message to my dad and my mates and said, 'This was the last thing I thought would happen.'"

The Rise and Fall

Postecoglou joined Tottenham from Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, replacing Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing 26 points from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five matches, and the club's season tailed off, ultimately missing out on Champions League qualification by a narrow two points.

In the next campaign, they won just 11 out of 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated Postecoglou's style, Netherlands international Van de Ven thinks the team was missing a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the coach.

"I enjoyed the attacking football at that time but I appreciate what we have now with our current manager. We are more secure at the back. I don't like being vulnerable every game on the break," he said.

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

"But, managers analyse everything and opponents figured out what we were doing. Sometimes we didn't really have a backup plan and we were getting exposed. We didn't have solutions to get out."

"At one point Romero and I approached the manager 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 want you two guys to sort this on the pitch, make sure everybody knows.'"