Defeat in the Clásico on our own ground always hurts

Barcelona's Netherlands star Frenkie de Jong has had his say on the Clasico, a 1-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the tenth round of La Liga.

Left out of Barca's starting line-up, De Jong came on in the 74th minute to replace Fermin Lopez.

Dutch outlet Voetbal International carried his comments, made to the Ziggo Sport channel.

Back on the pitch after months battling injury, De Jong said: "I have to say that I feel very disappointed first and foremost."

He added: "It is good to be back playing, but losing the Clasico on our own ground always hurts."

"When you lose the match in this way, you are left with a bad feeling. I think we did not produce our best level throughout the match. We made more passing errors than usual," he continued.

De Jong pointed to the threat from the other end: "On the other hand, Real Madrid have players up front who possess great speed and high 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 this way is extremely frustrating."

Barcelona had carried an unbeaten record into the week. Then came two defeats in quick succession, to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and to Real Madrid.

De Jong refused to panic. "It is good that this happens at the start of the season, because we can learn from it. Nothing has been decided yet, as we are still top of the league, and the Champions League is also still in its early stages," he said.

On his own fitness, he added: "I am ready and feel in good shape. Now, it is about gradually increasing my playing time. I have to work on returning to the starting line-up as quickly as possible."

He concluded: "I have great motivation, and I am very excited. And when I get the chances, I will have to prove my abilities on the pitch."