Hodgson has made five tweaks to the starting XI, including three to his back four.
However, he said, his thinking has been influenced by the fixture schedule and squad depth more than by form.
"When you've let in as many goals as we have in the last two games, the defence is a key area of improvement," he said.
"But I wouldn't put that down just to the back four. It's a more of a case of having players who have fresh legs, can take the place of the three players who are not playing and do what I think will be a very similar job to what the other three were doing.
"It hasn't been provoked by the results, it's been provoked by the fact we have the luxury we have players who can go in and retain what I'm looking for."
But Hodgson isn't the only manager to have shuffled his hand, with Brendan Rodgers making wholesale changes to the Leicester lineup.
The Palace coach reflected on his opposite number's decision:
"They've got a very big squad and some very good players and fresh legs. We've been able to change five players and they've been able to change seven.
"I don't ever try to pre-empt what other managers will do and think. We try to understand what their team normally does and how they like to play and where their threats are coming from."
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