DIER: I’M SURE LINEKER AND SHEARER DIVED TOO
Spurs midfielder backs Dele after criticism about his theatrics from two England legends
ERIC DIER has defended Dele Alli against stick from Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer by insisting: “I’m sure they dived too.”
The midfielder (above) backed his Spurs and England team-mate, who has been vilified for his theatrics in Sunday’s 1-0 win at Crystal Palace.
It follows the criticism Alli received for diving in the 2-2 draw at Liverpool earlier this month.
Clips of Alli falling over Palace keeper Wayne Hennessey have gone viral, while BBC pundits Lineker and Shearer both weighed in.
But Dier said: “I’m sure they probably both dived in their careers. These things happen.
“Obviously, because it’s Dele, it probably gets more attention than it deserves. It’s difficult sometimes because if you take the action in the game against Liverpool where he got booked for diving, I was standing right behind him.
“When he’s running towards the ball, he’s taken a touch and it looks like the guy is about to come and take him out. There a sense of ‘I need to get out of the way’.
“If the opponent then goes and stops, it’s difficult. That’s a difficult situation.”
Asked whether the scrutiny and controversy have affected Alli, Dier added: “That’s the great thing about Dele. I don’t think he pays any attention to it and that’s the most important thing.
“All he needs to pay attention to is the way his team-mates and the manager see him. The way his family sees him. The rest really is irrelevant.”
Lineker called the former MK Dons star “Divey Alli” on Twitter, while Shearer insisted on Match of the Day 2 that boss Mauricio Pochettino should step in.
Shearer said: “We heard what his manager said a couple of weeks ago re: diving.
“It has to come from the manager. It has to come from him. You cannot keep on doing this.
“You’ve got huge potential as a player. Let’s talk about him as a footballer. Not about him constantly diving because it seems as though we are talking about him doing it every week now.”
But Dier added: “One of the beautiful things about football is that everyone has an opinion, but it doesn’t mean everyone’s opinion is right.
“It’s difficult because nowadays with Twitter and Instagram, every other social media outlet and the internet, everyone has an opinion and you have to sift through it to find the right one. “That’s why I say for every footballer, myself included, we just need to focus on the people that matter to us – the manager, our team-mates and our family. I don’t think what anyone else says should bother us.”
The Hennessey incident was the first of two flashpoints involving Alli.
In the first, the Tottenham star appeared to have a legitimate penalty denied when he was kicked by Patrick van Aanholt. But his theatrical fall saw the Palace defender confront him.
Match-winner Harry Kane said: “It was a heated game. I think Dele wanted a penalty on one of the fouls and it wasn’t given and they squared up. It’s football, there’s nothing malicious or anything.”
Kane also suggested Alli’s critics do not empathise enough with him. He added: “It’s a hard one. It’s hard when people watch football and they don’t really understand.
“Sometimes players dive, but sometimes you can’t get out of the way and I’ve said before – if someone makes a challenge, why should you jump out of the way?
“It’s their own fault. When you get a reputation and when it’s happened a couple of times, the fans get on your back and things like that, but the ref ’s there to make a call on the day and you’ve just got to go with what he says.”