E ven now, 15 months on from the triumph that established their philosophy as a new ideal for football, it is the lack of vanity that seems the most telling feature of Spain's national team.

They have experienced the glory of becoming European and world champions, and of being idolised for the purity of their style, but the success is built upon collaboration as much as the talent of a generation of accomplished players.

There is a gracefulness to so much of their game, but that is the consequence of a culture that values technique and poise. Spain have thrived by rejecting the cult of the individual; if Iker Casillas doesn’t play in goal, then Pepe Reina or Victor Valdes replaces him; if Xavi and Andres Iniesta are missing, Xabi Alonso and Juan Mata take over; who stands in for David Villa? Fernando Torres or Fernando Llorente. It is this strength in depth, the idea of a constant rejuvenation, that underpins their progress.

Vicente del Bosque intended to use all of his players during their final double header of Euro 2012 qualifiers. Yet rotating individuals for tonight’s game against Scotland in Alicante will have little effect on the team’s ability to be devastating. Spain’s manager has already vowed to approach this last tie with the same frame of mind and ambition as he did the 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic last Friday night.

The squad that won the World Cup last year is now being reinforced with members of the under-21 side who won their European Championships during the summer. Javi Martinez, of Athletic Bilbao, Mata, of Chelsea, and Thiago Alcantara, of Barcelona, could feature against Scotland.

There is every likelihood, too, that Jordi Alba, the 22-year-old Valencia defender, will make his debut at left-back. It is a position that causes Del Bosque some angst, since the World Cup winner, Joan Capdevilla, is now 33, while Alvaro Arbeloa is a right-footed option but has dropped out of Real Madrid’s starting line-up.

With Carles Puyol also 33, there is a need to identify a long-term centre-back partner for Gerard Pique, with midfielder Sergio Busquets among the candidates since there are several contenders for a place in the centre of the pitch.

These are the loose threads that Del Bosque must ponder, but managing the evolution of his squad is not an upheaval. He selected Torres in the starting line-up in Prague, but only because Alvaro Negredo, the Sevilla forward, is injured.

The Chelsea striker did not even make the bench for the previous qualifier against Liechtenstein. He still seems troubled by a malaise, but Del Bosque wants him to play his way out of it.

There is no room for conceit in a squad that can see Cesc Fabregas, Reina or David Silva left out of the starting line-up on merit. Silva once complained about being marginalised, but Del Bosque reacted with a quizzical frown and a gentle reminder of the games the Manchester City attacker has featured in. Silva, too, may start in Alicante; a Spanish team that does not draw on all of its usual starters is still able to be witheringly superior.

The changes will not be cosmetic -- although Casillas is thought to have asked that he be rested so that he wins his 126th cap, and so equals Andoni Zubizarreta’s record, in a friendly against England at Wembley next month. If Reina, Santi Cazorla, the Malaga midfielder, Mata, Torres and Silva all start the match, it is because Del Bosque considers them the equals -- in talent, commitment and attitude -- to the likes of Casillas, Arbeloa, Alonso, Xavi and Villa.

“We are professionals,” the Spain manager said. “It is only fair and proper that we afford the Scots the same respect we gave to the Czechs. [But] we have a big number of players with quality and we have alternatives.”

A lugubrious-looking strategist with an aversion to the limelight, Del Bosque is the perfect leader for this Spanish squad. His focus is the team’s fortunes, rather than his own.