First, while I agree Goebel and Buttle make an interesting match-up, Goebel stated clearly in post-competition interviews that his long program performance was in no way hampered by the food poisoning. I don't think it's fair to knock Buttle's win by saying he only did so because Goebel was ill.
As for how the two match up, clearly Goebel has had more consistent quads, but in other technical areas - spins, footwork etc - I would mark Buttle ahead. I also think Buttle is the superior artist, though Goebel has certainly shown some improvement in this area over the last couple of years. Still, the positioning of shoulders, neck and back are noticeably still stiff when Geobel performs. Neither are hugely consistent in landing all their jumps in a given program.
As for how they stack up against Plushenko, I think it's giving Plushenko undeserved credit to say neither are really in his league, even healthy. Last year? at worlds I thought Goebel should have had the gold medal ahead of Plushenko, who also has always had his own problems with consistency. Sure, Plushenko is great, but unbeatable? No. He may not be beaten this year, but I wouldn't count out Buttle or Goebel in years to come.
That would be true assuming the flailing around the ice ala Plushenko is everyone's version of artistry.
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