“We don't have that many fewer points than Real Madrid and Atletico” - De Jong hits back at ‘exaggerated’ claims that Barcelona are out of the title race

Barcelona have had a tough start to the new season and have been heavily criticized for recording disappointing results in recent games. However, midfielder Frenkie de Jong believes the club's struggles are being blown out of proportion.

He explained:

"It's being exaggerated a lot, we're not in a rut. The results are bad, no one can ignore that. You can note a negative feeling around the club, which makes sense when you have bad results at a club like Barcelona. I'm disappointed, but I'm not down."

Barcelona players are currently on an international break. They've left to represent their respective nations in the UEFA Nations League and the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Frenkie de Jong believes the break has come at the right time, tipping the Catalan giants to improve when they return. He said:

"It's good we have the break now, if we go back to Barcelona games after the international games I think we can return to normality. People are exaggerating when they say the season is already a write-off. We don't have that many fewer points than Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, and there are a lot of games left to play."

"So, nothing is lost, not at all. We started badly in the Champions League, but we still have every chance [of qualifying for the last 16]."

Barcelona have won just one of their last six games across all competitions (a 3-0 triumph over Levante in La Liga). They suffered 3-0 defeats in each of their Champions League clashes with Bayern Munich and Benfica. The Catalan giants also drew their league fixtures with Granada and Cadiz before Atletico Madrid beat them 2-0 last time out.

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Frenkie de Jong a bright spot despite Barcelona's struggles

Frenkie de Jong has impressed individually this season

Barcelona have won three out of their nine games across all competitions so far. Although many players have failed to step up for the Catalan giants, the same cannot be said about Frenkie de Jong.

The Dutchman has been a lively presence in the Blaugrana's midfield this season. He has made eight appearances for the club in the Champions League and La Liga so far. He also has two assists to his name.