Tottenham Manager Mauricio Pochettino Defends 'Nasty' Dele Alli After Dive

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has come to the defence of midfielder Dele Alli following his latest diving controversy, calling the England international a "clever boy" and "a little nasty." 

The 21-year-old was booked for simulation in the 2-2 draw against Liverpool, and it was his third booking for a dive since 2015―the most in the Premier League in that span, according to Kieran Gill of the Daily Mail.

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But Pochettino has no issues with Alli's approach, as reported by the London Evening Standard's Tom Collomosse:

"The problem now is that we are so sensitive about the situation. And then we are so focused on Dele Alli.

"There are a lot of positives from Dele. Of course, he's not perfect. Nobody is perfect. Of course, he is a clever boy. He is a little bit nasty.

"Football is a creative sport, in which you need talent and a very smart brain. And now we are so focused on small details.

"I am worried that in a few years we are not pushing our sport into a very rigid, structured place—with the VAR, with being focused too much on the small actions like this (Alli's dive)."

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Alli has emerged as one of England's top young midfielders since making his debut in 2015, standing out for his tremendous physical gifts, passing range and ability to score goals. Last season, he contributed a remarkable 18 goals in the Premier League, a fantastic tally for a central midfielder.

But the youngster has made headlines due to his antics as often as he has for his goals. Along with his frequent bookings for simulation, he's also been involved in a number of ugly incidents on the pitch, including aiming a kick at Fiorentina's Nenad Tomovic in 2016, per the Press Association (for the Guardian).

The club's reputation appears to be suffering a bit due to his behaviour, as well as those of some of his team-mates, as highlighted by this exchange between former England international Gary Lineker and football writer Kevin Palmer:

For now, Pochettino is happy to see Alli play on the edge during games.