Phil Foden and Abdukodir Khusanov sprinted over to the bench for detailed instructions from Enzo Maresca. Marc Guehi and Enzo Fernandez engaged in deep conversation. Gesturing arms as Erling Haaland and Elliot Anderson spoke while walking back to halfway.

Manchester City led in Saxony via Castello Lukeba's own goal but the body language was as if the opposite had befallen them. City are seemingly learning on the job here and have been doing all season, with different tweaks on the same tactical theme each week and lacking a certainty about exactly how they go and emphatically win games like this.

It was the same when they went on the seven-game winning run to fly out of the blocks in the Premier League, imperfections making them eminently watchable but not a team in Maresca's ideal image yet. Not by a long shot.

Later, when Anderson and Rayan Cherki were locked in debate about how to press from a goal kick, it served as a reminder of Maresca's words that this is a new project and change takes time.

Yet on the surface this presentable and creditable result, won by Erling Haaland with 12 minutes left and nestles them inside the Champions League's top eight. All a bit confusing with City right now - not least because of how little this could all mean amid an appeal of the independent commission's findings.

Maresca has to just carry on regardless. He and his Leipzig counterpart - former City defender Martin Demichelis - are close friends after spending a couple of years together playing for Malaga. So close, in fact, that Maresca was sending cheeky messages to the Argentine about team news in the days before this.

What he didn't need to ask is how Demichelis was expecting his team to play. Leipzig like to counter, like to turnover possession high up the pitch and decisively catch opponents cold. Basically, everything a City side would rather not face.

City went ahead eight minutes before the break though, Lukeba turning into his own net from Nico O'Reilly's drilled cross - Fernandez lurking at the back post to do the honours if not - but will have felt Leipzig had too many chances of their own.

Gianluigi Donnarumma almost embarrassed himself from Antonio Nusa's straightforward shot squirting through his fingers and just over. Among other opportunities, Christoph Baumgartner curled wide from the box's edge. Baumgartner had time and space to line up the effort, oceans to himself amid a vacant City midfield. Anderson had gone to put out a fire out wide, vacating his holding position.

Anderson was operating there alone on the night, not something he has done regularly since a £116million summer switch, and it presented yet another iteration of Maresca's tactical ideas. These are altering most weeks at the moment, a new version each time City step out.

Donnarumma had to be at full stretch to acrobatically tip another Baumgartner shot wide seconds after the restart. And yet, shortly after, the Italian had one of those moments that are becoming far too common.

Ridle Baku was the beneficiary of the goalkeeper's poor positioning, forgetting about his near post, and sliding in. Somebody of Donnarumma's standing cannot allow that to happen and the idea that he might have done better for certain goals is becoming far too regular now. Maresca insisted last week that he remains first name on the team sheet. He would fumble another Baku shot, which led to a penalty appeal.

Despite that, this trip to east Germany followed the same pattern as most weeks this season in parts. Lots of chances. Cherki flashing wide when Fernandez expertly turned around the corner, Foden shovelling wide inside the box and O'Reilly heading over when the tempo suddenly accelerated. Haaland somehow failed to finish one-on-one, Maarten Vandevoordt easily thwarting him.

Then this descended into one of those matches that is the norm under a Guardiola-less City. End to end and no real certainty of the outcome. Fernandez headed in a second from Iliman Ndiaye's wicked cross but that lead only lasted three minutes, until Nusa slammed into the far corner when Matheus Nunes had been caught too narrow just after the hour.

City kept ploughing forward, Anderson kept driving on. Ndiaye set Anderson storming down the right and he knew the area to hit. Back post, Haaland. A wicked cross, a striker's finish. Game won. Maybe that's what they were chatting about earlier.