Pino: Our objectives this season are clear
Yéremy Pino says Crystal Palace have clear targets in mind, as the Eagles head into the final two-and-a-half months of the 2025/26 season.
Pino and his teammates host Leeds United at Selhurst Park on Sunday, little under three days since being held to a stalemate in SE25 by Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League Round of 16 match-up.
With nine Premier League matches left to play – and Palace still within touching distance of the European spots – as well as potentially the latter stages of that European competition, the Spain international says he and his teammates have set their sights high in the closing chapter of another historic campaign.
“The objectives are clear,” Pino told Premier League Productions. “We have nine matches left in the league and we have the Conference League. We’re going to try to win them all.
“Our goal is to finish as high as possible in the league, and the Conference League is clearly a target because it’s a knockout competition – if you win, you keep going, if not, you’re out.
“It’s a great opportunity to win a trophy.”
I arrived into a group of players who are great people
—Yéremy Pino
Pino’s first year at Palace has seen the attacker pick up five goals and four assists in 37 appearances in all competitions thus far – in particular in the Conference League, creating an impressive 15 chances in European competition thus far.
The move to South London from Villarreal last summer marked the first major move of Pino’s senior career, with the 23-year-old admitting that – while the move marked a step outside his comfort zone – he is enjoying life in South London.
“Honestly, it’s been very good,” Pino said. “I thought adapting to the team and to a new country would be a bit harder for me, but the truth is it’s gone really well.
“I think I’ve adapted well. It’s true that right now it’s been a little harder for me to get into the team, but overall I’m very happy.
“I had never left my comfort zone before, and in the end it’s a learning experience that I’ll carry with me.
“It was very hard to leave Villarreal, which was my home, my safe place, where I felt completely comfortable. But I arrived into a group of players who are great people.
"It also helped that quite a few of them speak Spanish. And everyone at the club made things easy for me – helping when I arrived with the house, the car, and with my family. They know we don’t speak the language and they made sure we had everything we needed. I’m really grateful for that.”
On adapting to the rigours of English football, Pino added: “Here you have to think much faster, you have to position yourself better, and the game is much more intense than in La Liga – I’m much quicker and make decisions better.
“The football, the stadiums, the fans… honestly, the atmosphere in England is different from Spain. In Spain, there are four or five stadiums you go to that can really intimidate you, but here in England every stadium is incredible.”
Match Details
Crystal Palace v Leeds United
- Sunday, 15th March
- 14:00 GMT
- Premier League
- Selhurst Park
- Live audio commentary on Palace TV+.