Alonso: The final game of the season is always special
Ahead of Crystal Palace Under-18s’ final fixture of the 2025/26 season against Arsenal at the Academy on Saturday morning (16th May, 11:00 BST), U18s head coach Javier Alonso reflected on a demanding end to the campaign, the development of his young squad and the desire to finish the season strongly.
In football, you can always learn
—Javier Alonso
Saturday’s clash concludes another competitive U18 Premier League campaign, with the division split into northern and southern section’s featuring the country’s leading Category One academies.
Teams face one another home and away across the regular season before the two divisional champions meet in a National Final to determine the overall U18 Premier League winners. Chelsea and Manchester City have already secured their respective regional titles and will contest this season’s showpiece.
Recent weeks have proven particularly demanding for Alonso’s side in the league.
Despite impressive victories over Arsenal and Ipswich Town, Palace have suffered consecutive defeats against West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa during a hectic schedule which has seen the U18s play six matches across a two-week period.
Reflecting on the closing weeks of the campaign, Alonso believes there have still been plenty of positives to take from the side’s performances.
“In football, you can always learn,” Alonso explained. “You learn from wins and you learn from defeats, but the most important thing is always moving on to the next game.
“I don’t think we deserved to lose against Aston Villa. Even when we went down to 10 men, I thought the team stayed really competitive for the final 40 minutes. We still created chances and kept fighting.
“They punished us in key moments, but I still believe the team is in a good place and ready to compete again against Arsenal.”
I think it’s been a really good experience for them
—Javier Alonso
The fixture congestion, combined with injuries and the absence of several Under-16 players due to GCSE examinations, has placed increased responsibility on Palace’s first-year scholars in recent weeks.
Alonso, however, has been delighted with the way the younger players have adapted to the demands of U18 football.
“I think it’s been a really good experience for them,” he said. “Of course they are young, but they are good players with a lot of quality.
“We picked up a lot of injuries after the Manchester United games, and we’ve probably played more matches than almost any other team in England this season.
“But I’ve been really happy with the Under-16s and scholars stepping up. They’ve handled the responsibility well and competed at a very good level.”
The young Eagles will also take confidence from the previous meeting between the sides earlier this month, when Palace secured an impressive 3-2 victory away at Arsenal’s Sobha Realty Training Centre.
Alonso looked back fondly on the display and believes his side produced one of their strongest performances of the campaign.
“I was really happy with that performance,” he said. “I thought we were aggressive without the ball, pressed really well and played some very good football.
“We were dangerous from set-pieces too and overall I think we deserved to beat Arsenal that day.
“The final game of the season is always special and hopefully we can do it again.”
I think we’ve had a really good season
—Javier Alonso
The Palace head coach is also expecting Arsenal to arrive in south London highly motivated for the final fixture of the campaign.
“Yes, definitely,” Alonso added. “It’s the last game, so both teams will always have extra energy because everybody wants to finish well.
“Even though we lost the other day, I can still see the fight in this group, and I believe we’ll be ready tomorrow.”
The 2025/26 season has already become one of the most memorable in recent Academy history for Palace.
The young Eagles reached the FA Youth Cup semi-finals for the first time in almost 30 years before lifting the club’s first-ever U18 Premier League Cup following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Manchester United at Selhurst Park.
While Palace can no longer mathematically finish inside the top three, fourth place remains possible heading into Saturday’s finale.
Reflecting on the campaign as a whole, Alonso believes his side can take enormous pride from their achievements across all competitions.
“I think we’ve had a really good league season,” he said. “At times we were competing right at the top of the table and overall, I’m really happy with what the players have done.
“I’m also proud because a number of players have stepped up to the Under-21s and some have even trained or been involved with the first team. That’s really important for the Academy.”
How to follow
The match will be streamed LIVE on Palace TV+ on Saturday morning (16th May), with coverage beginning at 10:45 BST ahead of a 11:00 BST kick-off – click HERE to find out more and subscribe.
Supporters can follow live commentary on our Academy X (Twitter) page, with a full match report and reaction published shortly after full-time in our Academy news section.
Highlights and extended reaction will be available on Palace TV+.
Match Details
Crystal Palace Under-18s v Arsenal Under-18s
- Saturday, 16th May
- 11:00 BST
- Crystal Palace Academy
- U18 Premier League South
- Watch LIVE on Palace TV+