JOIN USVicente del Bosque must fine-tune Spain's well-oiled winning machine to keep them fresh to defend their world title next year but without losing out on the one trophy that eludes them — the Confederations Cup.
Spain won an unprecedented treble of back-to-back European crowns either side of the 2010 World Cup and as FIFA's top ranked team have probably been analysed more than any other side.
The only blemish on their recent record was a shock 2-0 defeat by United States in the semifinals of the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa.
Maintaining their winning momentum, blending in new players with some tactical variations and perhaps most importantly, recovering the morale of a core group of players, will be a test for one of the game's most adept man-managers.
"We know that in football every one or two years things change and it is difficult to maintain this authority we have kept going since 2008," Del Bosque said in an interview with Diario de La Roja website.
"It is our obligation to keep trying."