Gary Lineker made a cheeky remark about Tottenham’s Dele Alli after he believed the midfielder had dived in the game against Crystal Palace.
During Spurs’ 1-0 victory over Roy Hodgson’s side on Sunday, Alli went down in the box, claiming that he had been foul and that his side deserved a penalty for the incident.
The referee waved away the 21-year-old’s appeals, awarding Spurs nothing for the incident.
Lineker, who was tweeting about the game as he watched it, re-named Dele Alli as ‘Divey Alli’ as he believed the player had dived in a bid to win a penalty.
Divey Alli.
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) February 25, 2018
This tweeted prompted Alan Shearer to join the debate and label the incident a blatant dive by the midfielder.
A blatant dive. https://t.co/AUN3gLBMWj
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) February 25, 2018
With Shearer responding, Lineker decided to make another remark about Alli, via his personal Twitter account, and sarcastically said the midfielder needed to work on his diving technique.
Yes, needs to work on his technique. Seems to consistently anticipate contact rather than wait for it. https://t.co/M0YPkq7vdX
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) February 25, 2018
OPINION
Alli is getting a reputation for diving and it’s costing his side penalties they deserve. While the 21-year-old midfielder did go down dramatically in Sunday’s game, he was clearly taken out by Wayne Hennessey. If Alli didn’t go over the top with his reaction sand his reputation didn’t precede him, Spurs probably would have got a penalty, which Harry Kane would have scored. Alli needs to stop diving as he is a wonderful talent and that is quickly being forgotten about due to his urge to cheat. The 21-year-old should look to emulate a player like Liverpool’s Jame Milner, who is praised for his toughness and determination to stay on his feet even when he gets clattered.