Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that diving in football is "a minimal issue".
On Sunday afternoon, Dele Alli was correctly booked for simulation in the Premier League fixture with Liverpool, and Pochettino has acknowledged that the England international had made a mistake.
However, Pochettino has insisted that his player does not deserve frequent criticism - despite being cautioned on more than one occasion for diving - while the Argentine has suggested that too much focus is being placed on that part of the game.
The 45-year-old is quoted by Football.London as saying: "It was clear. It was a yellow card. The referee was right. The problem now is that we are so sensitive about the situation. And we are so focused on Dele Alli. It's too much sometimes. There is such a focus on this type of situation. I think it's a minimal issue.
"Look, there are a lot of positives from Dele. Of course, he's not perfect. Nobody is perfect. He is a clever boy. He is a little bit nasty. The problem today is about more than this type of situation: I am worried that we are going to change the game that we know, how we know football.
Despite Alli failing to win a penalty at Anfield, Spurs were later awarded two spot kicks in the 2-2 draw.
Darren Plant
