There was a time last season where we really missed his presence. Problem now is that he has no presence to speak of. Whether that is the formation or his general all round play diminishing is the question. The formation nullifies most of the players (and scarily Butler cannot move on from the logic facing him) but I do agree that he plays safe nearly all of time and is very weak in the centre of the pitch. Dispossessed far too easily, contributes nothing as a goal threat.
