Crystal Palace boss Hodgson defends Tottenham’s Alli after latest dive debate

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Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson made some interesting comments following Dele Alli’s supposed dive for Tottenham at the weekend.

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has defended Tottenham Hotspur’s Dele Alli following his supposed dive during the game between the two sides on Sunday afternoon.

While Alli’s incident was not instrumental to the eventual result of the game, it could have easily been the key to unlocking a Palace back-line that had defended so resiliently throughout the majority of the match.

The unfortunate thing surrounding this ordeal is that even if Alli was taken down and should have been awarded a penalty, he has only got himself to blame courtesy of this diving reputation he has brought on himself. It is something that will take a long time to eradicate, as the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba will confirm.

But to the surprise of many, Hodgson was actually on the Englishman’s side in this case.

Hodgson told Sky Sports: “He only had the option to go down. The way our defenders defend the situation, he had to go down to avoid them. I don’t think he was looking for a penalty.

“(The crowd getting agitated is) what happens when all the talk in the massed media is about players diving: the public jump on the bandwagon to get as much advantage as they can.”

While those may be his true feelings, his past association with Alli as England manager could be something that factors into this. After all, he has managed the 21-year-old at an international level and has been able to see just how talented and truly dedicated he is to the cause of helping Spurs and England reach new heights.

The general opinion on this is always going to be split because you so rarely get a conclusive viewpoint on this kind of thing. It opens the door to the query of VAR once again, too, as with it we may get a definitive decision, meanwhile, without it, we are left to debate amongst ourselves and wonder ‘what more could be done’.

In truth, it does not matter what Hodgson, Pochettino or anyone else thinks or feels, as Alli is the only man who can rectify the public’s perception of him.