The Bayern model is the business plan that I believe Juve are trying to mirror. However, in order to do that, Juve have to take a slightly different approach, at least for right now, and as they have in the last couple of seasons. Not so much in the theory of buying 1-2 top players every year. I would love to see that. But the other half of the plan. The plan of infusing youth into the squad. Bayern does this to an extent, where they will have a combination of youth from their own system, plus youth purchased from around europe. This provides for just the right amount of balance between youth and experience, keeps the salaries in line with what you are trying to do, and will minimize the turnover effect when the older players have to move on.
Here is the glaring difference though between the two clubs, in my opinion. And again, I could be wrong, so please feel free to dissect this in any way that you choose. The difference between the Juve and Bayern model, is that Juve didn't have anything at all in the youth system to balance out the club. During the previous two regimes, the youth systems, and investing in youth especially, was non-existent. Not "virtually" non-existent, it was non-existent. There was no attempt to create a solid, and consistent pipeline. All the money was used in investing in the senior squad, and if you were in the shoes of those during the era where Juve were in Serie B and the 2 seasons after, you can sort of understand it. Juve had to do something once they got back into Serie A, and it had to be done quickly. A team that carries the name "Juventus" cannot afford to wallow in mediocrity for long. DOesn't happen. Fans won't allow it.
But that is a double edged sword. Although buying name players year after year for several years after promotion keeps the fanbase at bay, it also cripples the other fundamental piece of the sustainability puzzle, which is the investment on the youth system. So, in essence, you are giving yourself an even smaller window of opportunity to make sure that you get these purchases right the first time, for if you spend all of your money on the senior squad,and it doesn't work, you have no backup plan. Then what? You have the squad of 2009-2010, where the first part of the plan caught up with them. An old,expensive squad with no depth.
Enter the new regime, and this is what they see. An old, expensive squad whose best years are behind them, and a bleak outlook for the future. Now, if the 2nd part of the sustainability puzzle had been kept in place, then would the amount of money spent during the 2010-2011 season have been necessary? Probably not. Probably wouldn't have been necessary to sign 10 players in that first year either. But that is what happens when there are no fallback plans, you essentially have to spend an inordinate amount of money on squad players, just to create some depth. Now, I'm not saying that it is wrong or right, that's not what this post is about. However, during that first year in charge, you can start to see a shift in policy, where youth players were starting to be purchased, investments in all parts of the world, not just Italy.
Now, in regards to this, I understand that maybe, maybe 1 out of every 4 young players actually find their way to the senior squad, but if that does happen, it is money spent wisely. It's one thing to have a youth player make the Genoa squad, but to make Juve's senior squad is something entirely different. It means you have the potential to be a true player.
Tons of eggs were broken during the first 2 years of this new regime to make this omelet. Some of those eggs were just downright rotten, we can all acknowledge that. But personally, I can see where this system is going. I think that if you look at the trend the past 3 seasons, and you need to look no further than the player thread on this forum, you can see it. I'm a nearly 10 year veteran of this forum, and I have never seen so much activity on that and the transfer thread on young players before. That, to me is a very good sign. I like where it is going. I'm not happy with everything, mind you, but I'm happier than I was 4 years ago, when I honestly saw no hope whatsoever in the future of this club.
Now, looking at the present and the very near future, there SHOULD NOT BE a need to sign 5-6 players every single year. It is time to have faith in the youth players to offset some of these signings. If these young players are placed alongside true professionals, then they should have some success. It is the ONLY way for a club such as Juventus who are currently in the 2nd tier of revenue generating clubs to stay in step with the top clubs, and to stay one step ahead of their immediate peers.