Pep Guardiola has been crowned English football's most impactful manager by LiveScore's Evolution of Fan report.

The Premier League sparks back into action this weekend as Guardiola's Manchester City host old foes Liverpool in a top-of-the-table clash on Saturday lunchtime.

And while the battle on the pitch looks tough to call, LiveScore users have emphatically voted City's Catalan coach as the master of his craft — trumping the likes of Alex Ferguson and Jurgen Klopp.

In what was a multiple choice question posed to respondents, 52% included Guardiola in their managers who have most helped re-shape football.

That bettered the 50% who plumped for legendary Manchester United boss Ferguson and 32% who opted for Reds chief Klopp.

As part of LiveScore's 25th-anniversary celebrations, the Evolution of Fan report analyses data from nearly 25,000 UK app users and uncovers the changing behaviours of football fans throughout that period.

With the report due to be released in full during early 2024, readers can look forward to plenty more fascinating insights from the wealth of data collected.

Among other highlights to look out for is how fans rank each team’s talisman, with Kevin De Bruyne of Manchester City (31%) coming out on top of Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (25%) in terms of individual player impact on the game. 

Ric Leask, marketing director at LiveScore Group, said: "LiveScore's 25th anniversary gave us the perfect moment to reflect on the influential individuals that have shaped the game we know and love today. 

"Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have records that speak for themselves but, as part of our forthcoming Evolution of Fan report, our users have had their say on who they feel has been the most influential manager. 

"Now it's over to Pep and Jurgen to go head-to-head at the Etihad this weekend!

"Thousands of fans were surveyed for LiveScore's Evolution of Fan report, which is packed with fascinating insights about the way fans have enjoyed the beautiful game over the past 25 years. 

"The full report will be published in early 2024 — stay tuned!"