Mads Roerslev or Aaron Hickey? Brentford’s right-backs offer contrasting qualities

Brentford’s squad had one glaring weakness before the 2021-22 season. Despite the club’s best efforts, they failed to adequately replace Henrik Dalsgaard and were left without an experienced right-back.

Sergi Canos was converted from a forward into a wing-back to plug the gap but it was always an unnatural fit. Mads Roerslev was an effective deputy for Dalsgaard in the Championship, yet it felt too early for him to make the step up after his mentor left to join Midtjylland. Kristoffer Ajer has occasionally filled in on the right but his best position is at centre-back.

Brentford came extremely close to signing Vanderson from Brazilian side Gremio last January until he changed his mind at the last minute and moved to Monaco.

The situation now is completely different. The arrival of Aaron Hickey from Bologna last summer in a deal worth around £14million ($17m) and Roerslev’s rapid development means Brentford now have the luxury of possessing two quality young right-backs.

Hickey hit the ground running until he damaged his ankle ligaments in October and did not return until after the World Cup break. Roerslev provided cover while the Scotsman was injured and played a starring role in the memorable victories over Manchester City and Liverpool. The former Denmark Under-21 international’s contributions were recognised last week with a new contract that runs until 2026.

Hickey is fully fit again but Roerslev has demonstrated his class, so who deserves to be Thomas Frank’s first-choice right-back?

Roerslev made his senior debut for Copenhagen at the age of 17 against Jammerbugt in the Danish Cup in 2017 and scored 63 seconds after coming off the bench. Since joining Brentford three years later, it is his defensive contributions that have stood out.

Frank often uses him at right wing-back in a 3-5-2 formation against members of the ‘Big Six’. In Brentford’s 4-0 victory over Manchester United in August, the 23-year-old even started at centre-back and impressively dealt with the threat posed by Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford.

“He is just Mr Reliable,” Frank said before last week’s 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace. “No matter what you throw at him or who he faces, he performs. He made one mistake against Raheem Sterling (in a 2-0 defeat at the Etihad in February 2022) but besides that, has been top.

“He is extremely good one-versus-one defensively, defending the box, and is very strong with balls in behind. He has got the capacity to get up and down the line no matter if he’s playing at full-back or wing-back. Maybe (he needs) a tiny bit more composure in the build-up and hopefully, a few more assists and goals.”

You can see an example of Roerslev’s defensive acumen in Brentford’s demolition of Manchester United. Rashford collects the ball in acres of space on the left and charges towards the penalty area — it is Roerslev’s job to slow him down.

Rashford gets into the box but Roerslev stands his ground. He has bought enough time for Pontus Jansson and Josh Dasilva to scurry over and make it more difficult for Rashford to cut inside onto his stronger right foot.

Rashford shifts onto his left and shoots but it is a weak effort thanks to Roerslev’s sustained pressure, and David Raya makes a simple save.

When Brentford drew 1-1 with Arsenal at the Emirates a couple of weeks ago, Roerslev had the daunting task of shackling Gabriel Martinelli, one of the Premier League’s best wide forwards this season.

In this scenario, Oleksandr Zinchenko gives the ball to Martinelli, whose first thought is to burst down the line and whip a cross into the box.

Roerslev uses his strength to slow down the Brazilian and makes a brilliant tackle. He did this throughout the game and a frustrated Martinelli was taken off in the second half.

We are seeing signs he is growing more confident offensively, too. When Brentford beat West Ham United 2-0 at the London Stadium just after Christmas, you can see him darting towards the back post.

Vitaly Janelt’s cross falls at Roerslev’s feet and he directs an awkwardly bouncing ball through a sea of bodies towards Ivan Toney.

Toney is about to send the ball into the roof of the net, but Yoane Wissa plucks it away. The forward spins and hits a shot, which Lukasz Fabianski deals with easily.

Roerslev’s ‘reward’ for locking down Martinelli was to be an unused substitute in Brentford’s next fixture against Palace. However, his replacement Hickey justified his selection in a 4-3-3 with a performance Frank described as “a step in the right direction” — it was only his second start following an ankle injury.

Hickey scored five times and recorded one assist in 36 Serie A appearances last season. That is part of why Frank believes the Scotland international “edges it a little bit going forward” but surprisingly, he has only created one chance in the top flight this campaign compared to Roerslev (seven).

If we dig deeper, data from FBref shows Hickey is making more progressive carries (2.5) per 90 minutes in the league than Roerslev (0.77) — these are defined as moving the ball towards the opponent’s goalline at least 10 yards from its furthest point in the last six passes.

He also makes a higher volume of progressive passes (4.5 per 90) than his team-mate (1.5 per 90). It’s important to remember, though, the pair often play in different formations from each other and perform contrasting roles.

When The Athletic analysed what Hickey would bring to Brentford, his versatility immediately stood out.

Bologna used a variety of formations under the late Sinisa Mihajlovic and Hickey would switch wings. Data from Statsbomb via FBref shows he uses his left foot 60 per cent of the time, making one of the most two-footed players in Europe’s top five leagues last season. This trait means he can cut inside or provide an option out wide — another advantage over Roerslev.

Hickey demonstrated this when Brentford hosted Everton in August. He controls the ball with his right foot and the safest option would be to pass back to Mathias ‘Zanka’ Jorgensen.

However, he tricks Anthony Gordon by shifting inside onto his left foot and skips past him.

Hickey reaches the halfway line and has escaped the clutches of Gordon and Amadou Onana. It would have been wiser to locate Rico Henry but he attempts an overly ambitious pass for Wissa, which gets intercepted.

Hickey’s passing ability was on full display against Palace. In the 18th minute, he pulls off a superb line-breaking pass that sneaks past Jeffrey Schlupp and Tyrick Mitchell.

Bryan Mbeumo collects the ball and races forward…

… but the Frenchman attempts a strange pass, which Marc Guehi intercepts, instead of trying to find Mathias Jensen, Wissa or Toney. Regardless, Hickey’s intelligence had converted defence into attack within a split-second.

After Palace take the lead through Eberechi Eze’s header, Brentford hunt for an equaliser. Hickey passes the ball to Mikkel Damsgaard…

…and sets off on a rampaging run.

Mbeumo plays a first-time pass infield…

…which Hickey reaches ahead of Schlupp and Cheick Doucoure. The full-back slightly overhits his pass for Damsgaard but replays show he was fouled by Doucoure and should have been awarded a free kick in a dangerous position. Hickey’s brave run from deep nearly created a goalscoring opportunity for Brentford out of nothing.

During the reverse fixture in August, Hickey was responsible for marking Wilfried Zaha. It was only his fifth appearance in the Premier League and it proved to be a challenging test.

For large periods of the game, he defended well against Zaha. In this image, Palace’s talisman receives the ball from Eze at the corner of the box.

Zaha gets ready to burst past Hickey…

… but the Brentford defender avoids committing a foul and knocks the ball out for a corner.

Zaha picks up the ball in a similar location 10 minutes later.

Hickey stands his ground and does not necessarily do anything wrong. However, Zaha finds a small enough gap to bend a shot into the top corner. You could argue Shandon Baptiste and Mbeumo should have done more to help out their team-mate.

The battle between Zaha and Hickey did not stop there. In this example, the Ivory Coast international is marooned deep in his own half, facing the wrong direction and with potential passing lanes shut off — Hickey just needs to remain calm.

He dives in though and tries to pinch the ball, which allows Zaha to wriggle out of trouble.

Hickey’s frustrations boil over and he gets booked for pulling back Zaha.

Roerslev is not the perfect defender. He found it particularly tricky marking Wilfried Gnonto against Leeds United in January but he tends to be more consistent in these moments.

FBref data from this season suggests Hickey is more likely to stick a foot in. His 3.4 tackles and interceptions per 90 edge Roerslev’s figures of 2.2 per 90 — however, this could show Hickey is more active in his defending rather than provide a measure of his effectiveness.

Hickey’s 1.3 clearances per 90 are half that of Roerslev’s 3.0 per 90, which might point to greater positioning from the Danish defender, but while defensive numbers can tell a story, it’s important to focus on what you see on the pitch.

Brentford are lucky to have two right-backs who cover each other’s weaknesses. The best option for Frank might be to rotate them until the end of the season and then decide who deserves the crown long-term.

Roerslev has never been capped by Denmark at senior level and will be keen to stay in the Brentford line-up before their European Championship qualifiers next month. Hickey, equally, is eager to keep impressing Scotland manager Steve Clarke.

The stakes are high but having Roerslev and Hickey is a great position for Frank to be in.

(Other contributor: Mark Carey)

(Top photos: Getty Images)