Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Gian Piero Gasperini said Roma are “a long way behind schedule” after they produced a “horrible” performance in their 3-0 friendly defeat to Brighton on Saturday.
The Giallorossi were blown away by their Premier League opponents at the American Express Stadium, despite Gasperini naming a relatively strong team containing the likes of Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen.
Georginio Rutter opened the scoring for the Seagulls, with Yasin Ayari then netting either side of half-time as Fabian Hurzeler’s hosts claimed a deserved victory.
Brighton had a 60.2% possession share and hit the target with six of their 12 shots, while Roma failed to get a single attempt on target (from 10 efforts).
Brighton also won the expected goals (xG) battle by 1.3 to 0.69, leaving Gasperini to lament a disjointed display from his side.
Roma have brought in Santiago Castro, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Daniele Ghilardi during the current transfer window, in addition to making Malen’s loan from Aston Villa permanent, but Gasperini says they still need further reinforcements.
“It was, without doubt, a horrible performance,” Gasperini said. “We worked in a fairly good atmosphere this week, but we just played badly.
“I don’t think it’s a matter of sharpness, because we just weren’t working together as a squad, we lacked the right concentration.
“There are a few players coming from the World Cup, so certainly they are a bit drained, and we must have some patience for them to fully recover. I get the feeling we’re not quite switched on yet.
“At least this is a time when we can afford to lose this badly.
“These are, in a way, situations that can help us get switched back on, but the sensation is we’re still quite a long way behind schedule.
“We’ve done well with the group that started the summer, but there’s definitely a split in the squad.”
Roma’s opening Serie A match of 2026-27 is at home to Fiorentina on August 24, with one more high-profile friendly – away to Borussia Dortmund next Saturday – to come before then.
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