3 things to watch this weekend: Hodgson returns to his roots

It doesn't get much more ordinary than Roy Hodgson, but the English manager is extraordinarily among the most exciting plotlines in the Premier League this weekend after Frank de Boer was ruthlessly sacked.

Outside of the tactician's return, Patrick Stewart's favourite club will look to get back to its winning ways, and there's some buzz about who could potentially be atop the standings come Monday.

Hodgson's career comes full circle

It was in the 1960s when Hodgson progressed through the youth ranks at Crystal Palace. Young people in the United Kingdom wanted to fight the establishment, but he just wanted to make his name as a footballer. More than a half-century onward, at 70 years of age, he'll make his debut as the Eagles' manager as the club welcomes Southampton to Selhurst Park.

There's something surreal about the whole thing: a combination of Hodgson's age, history, and, perhaps above all, the chance he is being given following the national embarrassment that was England's defeat to Iceland at Euro 2016. As he made clear at a media conference, however, that night in Nice is in the past.

"Look, I'm not interested in Iceland," Hodgson said, according to the Guardian's Dominic Fifield. "We're going back down a route which I've said, reasonably politely, is a past chapter. Who cares? You might. There might be people up in Carlisle who'd like to know that. But at the moment I'm south London. I'm here in Beckenham. A lot of the Crystal Palace fans who will be reading this, the ones who interest me most of all, will want to know what Roy Hodgson is saying about Crystal Palace."

What's Hodgson saying about Palace? That will largely depend on how well he can clean up the mess left by De Boer.

Huddersfield Town can go back to dreamland

Huddersfield Town both conceded and tasted Premier League defeat for the first time in its 2-0 loss at West Ham United. After beginning the campaign with two victories and a scoreless draw, they were brought back down to Earth by a club in search of its first win.

On Saturday, Huddersfield will have a chance to ensure that the result was a one-off and not the beginning of a downward spiral, as Leicester City will pop by John Smith's Stadium. So often, newly promoted clubs start strong but fade away in the blink of a eye. Last season, that club was Hull City, who ended up being relegated after also kicking off the season with two wins and a draw.

Huddersfield is about 15 percent of the way toward safety. Beating Leicester would be a statement that the Terriers have no intention of following in Hull's footsteps, and could restore their top-four status.

Watford on the hilltop?

Could Watford be atop the Premier League? If the Hornets defeat Manchester City at Vicarage Road, they'll be at the summit, at least until Sunday.

Marco Silva is quickly shutting up Paul Merson, who, in reaction to the Portuguese manager's appointment at Hull last season, said: "What is this geezer?" Since arriving at Watford, the Hornets are unbeaten in the Premier League, boasting two victories and two draws while keeping three clean sheets. The club is near impossible to break down. Abdoulaye Doucoure and Richarlison are proving to be a nightmare for defenders. Something special is happening.

City thrashed Watford 5-0 in its last visit to Vicarage Road, but a repeat of that result looks highly unlikely.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)