In his eagerness to find the slightest excuse to criticize FC Barcelona, Tomás Roncero has made a fool of himself once again. The AS newspaper panelist, known for his staunch defense of Real Madrid and his outbursts whenever it comes to Barça, harshly criticized Lamine Yamal after a lost ball that ended in a goal for Seoul FC.
Roncero quickly posted a video on social media in which he accused Lamine of "resting on his laurels," pointing out his mistake as if it were the definitive proof of Barça's failure. "Lamine's loss cost a goal. In a dangerous area. You can't do that. He fell asleep," he declared with a tone of superiority.
What Roncero forgot to mention—or maybe preferred to ignore—is that Lamine was not only one of the most unbalancing players in the match, but he also scored two goals, contributed to another, and led the attack alongside Ferran Torres and Gavi. The young man from Mataró, now wearing the number '10', was a constant nightmare for the Korean defense.
An error that doesn't overshadow a great match
It's true that Lamine made a mistake in the 26th minute that ended in a goal for Seoul FC, although the play was preceded by an irregular action in which the opposing forward seemed to be offside. Soccer isn't a succession of isolated mistakes; it's a story of what happens during the 90 minutes.
In total, Hansi Flick's side scored seven goals in an offensive festival that left a great impression. Lamine excelled on the right, Dani Olmo distributed assists with good judgment, and in the second half, newcomers like Roony Bardghji and Marcus Rashford showed there's a squad to get excited about. Even Christensen was encouraged to score from 33 yds. (30 m).
Roncero, however, preferred to focus on a single play. The curious thing is that this isolated mistake was the only blemish in an outstanding offensive performance by Lamine, who not only scored but also created danger every time he touched the ball. If resting on your laurels means that, more than one would want to fall asleep like him.
Criticism without credibility
This isn't the first time Roncero tries to minimize Barça's achievements while magnifying Madrid's. This time, it backfired. The 3-7 in Seoul reflects a team that, despite having work to do in defense, is starting to click in Flick's second year.
It's ironic that, after Roncero's video was posted, Barça fans replied with humor on social media, sharing memes and messages like "Roncero went to sleep after the 2-2 and hasn't seen the 3-7," or "Lamine dedicated the second goal to Tomás's whining."
Meanwhile, Barça is starting to pick up the pace ahead of a promising season, with a young and talented squad, while Roncero's opportunistic criticism is further and further from reality. When the final result is a rout and your argument is a single isolated mistake... maybe the one who's been resting on his laurels is someone else. It wasn't Lamine.