Carlos Edwards:

I’m looking at the second round already. When we reach the last 16, I’ll start thinking about the quarter-finals. Why shouldn’t I be positive? If we go to Germany expecting to be World Cup whipping boys, that’s exactly what will happen. We don’t fear anyone. Not Sweden, not Paraguay, not even England. We beat Mexico - the fourth best team in the world according to Fifa - in our qualifying group and our world ranking, 47, is climbing all the time.

It’s a lot higher than Northern Ireland’s, at any rate. So far training is going great and the lads are bubbling. After the season ended we had a two-week camp in Trinidad and Tobago, which was pretty hectic due to all our press and public commitments. Not that I minded - the goodwill out there for the Soca Warriors is both inspiring and humbling.

Generally when we train we have a laugh and a kick-around. So far our coach, Leo Beenhakker, has been going relatively easy on us. The squad has two sessions a day but the guys who’ve just come off a domestic season in Europe train only once, in the morning, and in the evening we lie back in the Jacuzzi and relax. Preparing for a tournament is a balancing act: you don’t want to get to the World Cup and find all your cylinders have crashed but you don’t want to be under-prepared either. So far I think I’m on track: I did a bleep test the other day that showed my fitness hasn’t deserted me.

Beenhakker is an expressive coach. He doesn’t hold back. If he’s happy, he’ll let you know but if he feels you’re not giving him your absolute all, he’ll have a pop at you. All the players like him and respect him because Leo is 100 percent frank with us. He doesn’t take any nonsense and, since arriving, he’s made a huge difference. We certainly wouldn’t have qualified for the World Cup without him.

He’s rigorous too. He’s spent the last few weeks preparing everyone for what will come in Germany and has told us exactly what he expects. He’s mentally tough and that’s rubbed off on the players.

In the old days, when we went to places like Mexico and Costa Rica, we would get thrashed. Now we believe we can get a result wherever we play.

All that matters for me right now, however, is impressing my coach every time I step on to the pitch. I’m desperate to be picked in the starting 11 and show what I can do in Germany.