Spurs Defender Van de Ven Expresses Shock Over Ange Postecoglou Sacking

Tottenham Hotspur defender Van de Ven has admitted he "was completely surprised by" the club's decision to part ways with former manager Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a mere 16 days after he guided Tottenham to victory in the European final, securing the club's first piece of silverware in 17 years.

Yet, this European success was not matched in the domestic league, with the team finishing in a lowly 17th place in his last campaign in charge.

He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the summer, but Tottenham are presently 11th in the table, with 22 points, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday.

"He was a fantastic manager. I have a lot of respect for him," the Dutch defender told The Overlap 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 won silverware to Tottenham," he continued.

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

The Rise and Fall

The Australian manager arrived at Tottenham from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023-24 season, taking over from Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, collecting 26 points from his first ten Premier League games.

Nevertheless, that fine start came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, ultimately failing to secure a top-four finish by a narrow two-point margin.

The following season, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches.

Tactical Concerns Revealed

While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international Van de Ven thinks the team lacked a "alternative strategy" and disclosed he and defensive partner Romero spoke about adopting a more defensive approach with the manager.

"I enjoyed the attacking football under Postecoglou but I like 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 with that system, no team was accustomed to playing against our style. We were playing exceptional football."

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

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