Javier Mascherano: 'We must improve'

Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano has admitted that the club must improve following a patch of poor form.

Back-to-back defeats to Real Madrid have led to suggestions that the Catalan outfit have lost their edge, but the Argentine has laughed off the criticism.

"We should all give more. Our leader is ill, and it is an unusual situation, but we have to help ourselves and restore confidence," Mascherano told reporters at a press conference.

"Three weeks ago this seemed like Disney, and now it's like the House of Terror! In Madrid, they were down three weeks ago and now it is all happiness.

"We must get back to our best to get good results. When you spend a week or two with bad results, having been knocked out of the Copa del Rey and having lost the Clasico, obviously we are not in a good place. The best way is thinking up all."

Barcelona have lost three of their last four matches in all competitions.