Janssen - How Williams has helped me

Dominique Janssen says competing for a starting place with Fara Williams has helped her improve this season.

The Netherlands midfielder established herself as a key member of Pedro Martinez Losa’s squad in 2015, helping Arsenal Ladies lift the Continental Cup during an impressive debut campaign in north London.

Williams’ January arrival meant Janssen was no longer a guaranteed starter, but the 21-year-old has only seen the positives of working alongside England’s most-capped player.

“Fara is a big player, so I was a little bit afraid and I decided that I needed to work hard and learn a lot from her because she has a lot of experience,” Janseen told Arsenal.com. “I’m trying to learn a lot from her and the other girls, like Vicky Losada and Jordan Nobbs.

“In the game Fara gives me a lot of advice and in training as well. It gives me confidence to play together with her and I really like that she is in our team, but I think we still need to improve a lot of things. Hopefully everything will come together and we can get the cup.”

Janssen starred in Arsenal’s 7-0 win over Sunderland in the Women’s FA Cup semi-final and the midfielder says it would be a dream to feature in Saturday’s Wembley final against Chelsea.

“I have been there two times in the stands, so I’m really looking forward to playing on the pitch and I think the stadium is amazing,” she said. “It is a dream for every girl to play in such a big stadium, and it is a big event for women’s football as well. I’m really looking forward to it.

“The first time I went when I was new here, they asked if wanted some tickets for the FA Cup final so we went to that cup final. England played against Holland there too, and Holland won so it was nice.”