Former Barcelona midfielder Edgar Davids has hit back at criticism over the form of Neymar.

The Brazil international scored in the 8-0 and 6-0 thrashings of Deportivo La Coruna and Sporting Gijon, but had gone five matches without a goal prior to those victories.

Luis Suarez jumped to Neymar's defence last week after Barca's run of just one win in six games was blamed by some critics on the form of the former Santos forward.

And Davids believes it is unjust to scrutinise Neymar's performances given the way he played during the treble triumph in 2014-15. 

"If you are Neymar or [Lionel] Messi or Suarez, people expect every week back-to-back goals or brilliant performances," he said, speaking at an International Champions Cup launch. "Let's be honest, they're human.

"He did fantastic last season and it's only human to have a little bit of a slump, but it's still there for him to finish the season on top."

A run of three La Liga defeats in a row allowed Atletico Madrid to move level on points with Barca at the summit, but Davids remains confident the champions can defend their title with just three matches to play.

"It's tight, but still Barcelona are Barcelona and they will always have an opportunity to win," he added."They're a bit sloppy lately but I'm confident that they will be able to defend it."