Rarely has the Emirates Stadium felt so barren or bitter, yet so full of promise. On a Monday night where temperatures arrived by express delivery from the Siberian steppe – one CSKA Moscow player even wore leggings – Arsenal became the third English side to reach the last four of the NextGen Series, the unofficial Champions League for under-19 teams, with a comfortable 1-0 win in front of nearly 7,000 people.

It was the latest show of strength in the futures market from an English side. Chelsea, who face Arsenal in the semi-finals on Good Friday, recently beat Barcelona 2-0 away and Juventus 4-1 at home. Arsenal stifled last year's champions Internazionale on their own soil, before departing with a 1-0 victory. And Aston Villa, who play Sporting Lisbon in Friday's other semi-final, outplayed Ajax, traditionally a chest-out powerhouse of European youth football, during a 2-1 away win.

Success at under-19 level is one thing, success at senior level quite another. But in a season when so many senior English club sides have flopped in Europe, and the national team has bobbed along with the steadiness of a toy duck in a child's bath, it has offered a warming counterblast.

Whether it is a harbinger of a rosier future is unclear, but many Premier League clubs are quick to stress the benefits of facing top-level European clubs on a regular basis – with the added benefit that midweek matches give first-team managers a chance to monitor how their young guns are developing.

Terry Burton, Arsenal reserves and head development coach, says: "It's a great competition. What you want is for players to test themselves against the best, and NextGen gives you that. We've been to Marseille, Bilbao, Olympiakos and Inter. Our squad now realises that teams won't always treat you the way you treat them. That you might not always get a decision. They are learning a huge amount."

There was certainly much to admire in Arsenal's victory over CSKA. The muscular directness of the 17-year-old German Serge Gnabry, who scored the winner; the tidy passing of the Swede Kristoffer Olsen and captain Nico Yennaris in midfield, and the measured menace provided by Thomas Eisfeld, another German, and Hector Bellerin, a Spaniard poached from Barcelona's Masia, on the flanks.

Bellerin, who set up Gnabry's goal and impressed throughout, stressed how much he has enjoyed playing in Europe this season, adding: "These games are different to the league, so to have experiences like this is very important to our development."

So why have English teams been so successful? Partly it is down to weight of numbers. Six of the 24 sides in the tournament are from the Premier League. Sheer resource plays a part too. Tottenham, who were knocked out in the quarter-finals, have one of the best training centres in Europe, while Chelsea are renowned for their use of analytics even with their youth teams.

As Ben Smith, Chelsea's head of academy performance systems, explained at last week's Sports Analytics Innovation Summit: "We want to be the best development centre in the world. We use analysis and feedback after every session, even with our young players."

Villa also have a renowned youth academy and were recently granted category one status as part of the Premier League's Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP). One of EPPP's aims is to improve coaching standards and increase the number of home-grown players, but Burton believes it is too early to credit it for the clubs' success in NextGen.

"I'm sure with the EPPP criteria that we will produce better quality players, but it has only come in this season," he says. Instead Burton, a wily old fox who managed Wimbledon in the Premier League, believes that individual clubs are reaping the rewards for coaching structures put in place over many years – and, in Arsenal's case, a scouting system that extends across Europe.

"We're not bad, are we?" Burton says with a smile. "You look at the make-up of our team, and it's full of different nations. We've got two Germans, a Swede, a Bosnian, a Spaniard, a few English lads, and they blend in well together."

This weekend, a tournament that is gaining traction will also attract eyeballs, with both semi-finals and the final, on Easter Monday, screened live on Eurosport. But a predator is lurking. Next season, Uefa will launch a rival under-19 tournament for the 32 clubs in the Champions League. How it will play out is unclear, but it surely doesn't augur well for NextGen – no matter how much Justin Andrews, one of its founders, insists otherwise.

"Uefa coming in is flattering to us," he insists through clenched teeth. "Although they have had 50 years to do this. But the feedback we are getting from the clubs is that they will stay will us. I've not met a manager or a football person yet who doesn't think this is good for the game."

That much is true. And you can add to that list the players and fans travelling to Como in Italy for this weekend's final stages. As Samir Carruthers, the Villa starlet who has already played three times for the club's first team, says: "We've shown we can beat the best teams around Europe. We've proved to ourselves that we are a force to be reckoned with. I think we've got a good chance."

He speaks with the unwavering confidence of youth, but it is reinforced by victories over sides including Celtic, PSV, Ajax and Sporting. Hard games, hard yards. And while it is too early to say whether the next generation will be any better than the current one, they certainly have been given every chance.

Semi-finals

Chelsea v Arsenal – Friday, 2pm BST, Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como

Aston Villa v Sporting Lisbon – Friday, 7pm BST, Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como

Final – Monday, 5pm BST, Giuseppe Sinigaglia, Como

All matches live on Eurosport

Five to watch

Islam Feruz (Chelsea)

Somali-born 17-year-old with electric pace and a decent goalscoring record. Became Scotland's youngest ever Under-21 international, aged 16, when he came on during a friendly against Italy last year. Scored against Barcelona and Juventus during Chelsea's run to the semi-finals. Was granted asylum in Scotland as a boy after a personal plea from the Celtic great Tommy Burns.

Samir Carruther (Aston Villa)

Tricky 19-year-old playmaker who impressed during three first-team cameos for Villa - against Liverpool, Manchester United and West Brom - last season, but has yet to play under Paul Lambert. Made the news when he was fined £500 by Lambert for making a call while at Villa's training ground.

Serge Gnarby (Arsenal)

Squat, muscular 17-year-old German forward with pace and a decent scoring record. Made his first-team debut against Coventry in the Carling Cup in September and has since played in the Premier League and Champions League.

Hector Bellerin (Arsenal)

Highly-rated 18-year-old who left Barcelona for the Emirates. Used to play as a winger before moving back to right-back, but likes coming forward and has excellent distribution from free-kicks and corners. Yet to play for the first team.

Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)

A highly-touted 17-year-old, who has played regularly for Villa's Under-21 side and the Republic of Ireland's youth teams. Been at Villa since a six-year-old and generally plays on either flank, although he can play behind the striker.