Tottenham Defender Micky van de Ven Expresses Surprise Over Postecoglou Dismissal

Spurs defender Micky van de Ven has revealed he "never expected" the club's move to dismiss ex-boss Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he guided the team to victory in the Europa League final, securing the team's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a disappointing 17th place in his last season at the helm.

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

"He is a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told 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 is the coach that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Antonio Conte. He enjoyed early success with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his opening 10 Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that unbeaten run was halted with four losses in five games, and the club's form deteriorated, ultimately missing out on a top-four finish by a narrow two points.

The following season, they won just 11 out of 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender thinks the squad lacked a "plan B" and disclosed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about adopting a more cautious style with the manager.

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

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

"However, managers analyse everything and people knew what we were doing. At times we lacked a plan B and we were being caught out. We didn't have answers to get out."

"On one occasion me and Romero approached the manager and said we should change some things 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 handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"