AS Roma ended their pre-season trip to England with a heavy loss at the Amex Stadium, Anders Rutter and Ismaël Ayari, who scored twice, giving Brighton a comfortable win that leaves Gasperini's side with 11 goals conceded across four pre-season matches.
Speaking to Tuttomercatoweb afterwards, the head coach did not shy away from the poor showing.
"Today was undoubtedly a bad game. We put in a poor performance. Aside from that, we worked pretty well this week, because we were in a fresh environment, we were able to train well and the facilities were ideal too. But this certainly wasn't a good match. We have some difficulties, but we think we can put things right in the coming period," he said.
Asked whether the squad's sharpness matched where he'd want it to be at this stage, Gasperini pointed to a lack of cohesion rather than fitness alone.
"No, but it's not a question of sharpness. We played really disjointed as a team, definitely without the right concentration.
"We also have a few players coming back from the World Cup: Ndicka, Wesley and also Malen. They're certainly a bit drained and we need to be a little patient, because when you come back from these tournaments it can take a bit more time to recover."
Pressed on whether the team is struggling to "switch back on," he agreed.
"Maybe it's true, it's a feeling I have too. But this is a moment when we can also afford to lose these kinds of matches and play these kinds of games. These are situations that can then help you switch back on.
"Either way, the feeling is that we're still a bit behind. With a certain group, the ones who've worked from the start, we've definitely done good work. Dybala, for example, was a bit less sharp today, but on other days he's been very good. There are players who are genuinely back to form. Those who arrived from the start have done good work. We're a bit disjointed."
Elsewhere at the club, Roma confirmed Lorenzo Pellegrini has agreed a contract extension, ending a long and occasionally tense negotiation to keep the midfielder at the club he joined as a boy. Pellegrini marked the news on Instagram with a series of photographs in the club shirt, spelling out "Rinnovato" (renewed) across the images, accompanied by a brief but pointed caption: "Per amore" (for love).
Roma's official statement read: "AS Roma is pleased to announce it has reached an agreement to extend Lorenzo Pellegrini's contract. Having come through the club's youth academy, the player will continue to tie his career to the colours of the capital. Pellegrini's decision to accept the club's proposal reflects a deep shared vision of the sporting project and values of Roma. Onwards together, Lorenzo!"