🔗 Share this article Tottenham Centre-Back Micky van de Ven Expresses Shock At Ange Postecoglou Sacking Micky van de Ven signed for Tottenham from the German side in August 2023. Spurs defender Van de Ven has admitted he "never expected" the club's decision to part ways with ex-boss Postecoglou. The Australian's spell in charge was terminated a just 16 days after he guided the team to a win in the Europa League final, delivering the team's first major trophy in nearly two decades. Yet, this European success was not mirrored in the Premier League, with the side ending up in a lowly 17th place in Postecoglou's final season in charge. He was succeeded by ex-Brentford manager Frank during the summer, but Spurs currently sit in 11th place, with 22 points from 16 games, following a 3-0 defeat to Forest on Sunday. "He is a really good manager. I still really like him," Van de Ven told a podcast. "I'm not sure how everything went backstage. I didn't expect it. It was odd how everything went after - he's the manager that brought a trophy to Tottenham," he added. "Later, when he got sacked, I sent a message to my father and my mates and said, 'I never expected this.'" Spurs defeated Manchester United 1-0 in May's final in Bilbao. Initial Success and Subsequent Struggle The Australian manager joined Spurs from Scottish champions Celtic ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, replacing Antonio Conte. He made a bright start with his offensive philosophy of play, amassing an impressive points haul from his first ten Premier League games. Nevertheless, that unbeaten run came to an abrupt end with four losses in five games, and the team's form deteriorated, eventually missing out on a top-four finish by a mere two points. The following season, they managed only 11 of their 38 league matches. Tactical Concerns Revealed While he appreciated the attacking approach, Dutch international the defender believes the team was missing a "plan B" and revealed he and fellow centre-back Cristian Romero spoke about taking a more defensive approach with the coach. "I enjoyed the offensive play under Postecoglou 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 counter-attack," he said. "At the beginning with that system, no team was used to playing against our system. We were playing unbelievable football." "However, coaches study 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 solutions to get out." "On one occasion Romero and I approached the gaffer and suggested we should adjust tactically and play more defensive to make sure we win those games. He was like, 'I agree with you but I want you two guys to handle this on the pitch, ensure everybody knows.'"