Not really. It's just an easy way to get the breakdown info about your team, like how good is the team's passing ability compared to the rest of the league, which players are good choices for penalty takers and so on.

The mechanics underneath are pretty much unchanged from 2009. Can't remember 2008, I think I've just played the demo on that one, but it can't be really that much different. If you're an experienced FM player, you should be able to catch up pretty quickly.