Frenkie de Jong says Barcelona must learn from back-to-back defeats

Frenkie de Jong says Barcelona’s 2-1 El Clasico defeat by Real Madrid at home was “very disappointing”, but believes the setbacks can provide valuable lessons early in the season.

Barcelona had been unbeaten before losing to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and then Real Madrid in the 10th round of La Liga this week.

De Jong, who had been sidelined for several months with an injury, was named among the substitutes for the match at Barcelona. He returned in the 74th minute, replacing Fermin Lopez, but could not help his side avoid defeat.

“I must say that, first of all, I am very disappointed,” De Jong told Ziggo Sport in comments reported by Dutch publication Voetbal International.

“It is good to be back playing, but losing El Clasico at home always hurts.”

Barcelona struggled to produce their best performance against Real Madrid and were punished by the quality and pace of the visitors’ forward players.

“When you lose a match in that way, you feel bad,” added De Jong. “I do not think we played at our best throughout the game. We made more mistakes in our passing than usual.

“On the other hand, Real Madrid have forwards with great speed and quality. They can hurt you with those abilities, and that is exactly what they did. Conceding a goal at the end of the match in that manner is extremely frustrating.”

Despite the two defeats, De Jong said there was no reason for Barcelona to panic, with the domestic season still at an early stage and the Champions League yet to progress far.

“It is good that this has happened at the beginning of the season because we can learn from it,” he said. “Nothing has been decided yet. We are still top of the league, and the Champions League is also still in its early stages.”

The Netherlands international is now focused on building up his playing time gradually as he seeks to return to Barcelona’s starting XI.

“I am ready and I feel good,” said De Jong. “Now it is about gradually increasing the amount of time I play. I have to work on returning to the starting line-up as quickly as possible.

“I am highly motivated and very excited. When I get opportunities, I will have to show my ability on the pitch.”

Barcelona’s next listed La Liga fixture is against Deportivo Alaves on 31 October 2026. Real Madrid are scheduled to face Racing Santander in La Liga on 1 November 2026.