Manchester: The circus is back in town, bigger and brasher than ever, full of thrills, skills, tumbling acts and more than a few clowns.

As football storms back into life around the country in the Football League, the Big Top of Wembley hosts the Community Shield, this year so much more than a line-learning dress rehearsal for the Premier League.

Manchester City versus Manchester United today is a full-on, self-contained drama. The game has edge, the significance etched in numerous sub-plots.

Will United silence their noisy neighbours? Will Wayne Rooney maintain his terrific pre-season form? Will Ashley Young's vibrancy worry Nani? Will Sergio Aguero rise from the City bench to test Rio Ferdinand? Will City miss the absent Carlos Tevez, a sign of things to come?

So many areas of intrigue. Will United's youngsters such as Phil Jones demonstrate the depth of Sir Alex Ferguson's replenished squad? Can David de Gea deal with the pushing and shoving at corners? Will City hint at a more expansive strategy required to win the Premier League?

Will Mario Balotelli struggle with the parking/the weather/the grass/the no-showboating order/the bib?

After this summer of sagas, of Cesc Fabregas and Barcelona, Luka Modric and Chelsea, Joey Barton and George Orwell, the nation will raise a glass or three to the sight of footballers chasing a ball rather than new deals.

For all that the Premier League has morphed into a colossally successful brand and business, it must never forget that it is also a sport and a brilliantly entertaining one at times.

Ferguson argued as much yesterday. Sitting in his Carrington retreat, plotting another campaign, United's manager predicted a classic season in prospect, a reminder that English football is box to box-office. He began by mentioning the Champions League quartet, United, Chelsea, City and Arsenal, with four soon becoming six.

"Considering the increasing competition, with Liverpool expected to be better next season and Tottenham, who haven't done any buying this summer, which is surprising, you expect it to be a really tough league," Ferguson reflected.

"You are looking at the top six fighting for the top four. That can only add to the excitement of the Premier League, which is the best product in the game now for excitement.

"In every ground in Germany all the season tickets are taken up, which creates fantastic excitement. But in the Premier League, with United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea there's full houses every week, and we are the best product. To win the league in England is very difficult."

Ferguson is so driven by keeping the title trophy at Old Trafford that he has already calculated his route to Shangri La. "Eighty-four points will win the league next year," he said. "Definitely." His champions are favourites, deservedly. Even if City repeat their FA Cup semi-final success over United, Fergie's team look far readier for a long season.

Ferguson has bought well and bought early, allowing recruits such as Young in particular to bed in (while also dismissing suggestions that Dimitar Berbatov could go to Paris St-Germain as "nonsense").

Over in the City corner of Carrington, Roberto Mancini works hard on his squad, having bought only two defenders, Gael Clichy and Stefan Savic, Romanian keeper Costel Pantilimon and, most impressively, Aguero.

"To win the title we need other players, two or three more signings," said Mancini, adding that his board was "OK" with his targets. "It could be a very, very big season but we need to complete the team."

He refused to discuss Samir Nasri but City are looking at such talents. "We need a good list of players because playing the Champions League for the first time it is very hard."

— The Telegraph Group Limited, London 2011