Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong insists they're on the way back.

Having been knocked out of the Champions League and Copa del Rey, Barcelona have little to be happy about and De Jong himself has largely underperformed.

"I still think the same when I think about Barcelona," De Jong told NOS.

"It's not the best at the moment, but it's still the most beautiful club in the world."

De Jong is yet to find his best form this season with just two goals and two assists from 26 games. However, the midfielder believes some of his critics simply imitate each other, rather than forming their own opinion.

"I like football, so I also read all the news," said De Jong.

"I notice that a lot of people talk to each other.

"Sometimes I have the feeling that they don't actually watch the games. Or they do watch and then take an opinion from the commentators or analysts.

"If everyone imitates each other, there is an atmosphere that things are going very badly."