Pochettino warns against anti-diving hysteria
The hectic 2-2 draw at the weekend was one of the highlights of the matchday, though Tottenham’s winger got into trouble for diving, earning a yellow card.
While Pochettino admitted that Alli had dived, he claimed that it was part of the game, and hinted that a witch hunt would ultimately damage the game.
"It was clear. It was a yellow card. The referee was right," said Pochettino. "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.
"Football is a creative sport, in which you need the talent that grows in a very intelligent person, and a very smart brain. And now we are so focused on minimal details.