• Tottenham host Bournemouth and Wolves in coming days • ‘What we need to do now is be ready to compete’

Mauricio Pochettino believes Tottenham must focus on their own performances and not be distracted by the possibility of winning a first league title since 1961 despite their 6-2 hammering of Everton on Sunday.

Spurs have accumulated more points at this stage than ever before in the Premier League yet still find themselves in third place, six points behind the leaders, Liverpool. Pochettino admitted after the victory at Goodison Park that although Liverpool and second-placed Manchester City remain strong favourites to be champions, his side are in contention despite a difficult start to the season that saw eight players return to training only at the start of August because of World Cup commitments.

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With home fixtures against Bournemouth on Boxing Day and Wolves on Saturday, Pochettino has urged his players to learn from their mistakes, having been beaten in successive league matches following their 3-0 away win over Manchester United in August.

“ I was so disappointed with some of the comments, the way we assimilate the victory,” he said of the response to the victory at Old Trafford. “After that we improve a lot and learn. In football it’s always to be respectful and talk on the pitch. What we need to do now is be ready again to compete against Bournemouth because it’s going to be a tough game. You have to be able to cross that line, now to stop thinking about this result and be focused and be consistent again in the next game and maybe we arrive to win.

“Now it’s a challenge; this season is a massive challenge for us. In our first press conference after the World Cup I told you this is going to be one of the most difficult seasons for us, and look what is going on and what could happen.”

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With Mousa Dembélé, Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier sidelined, Moussa Sissoko started his fifth match in a row against Everton and could be rested against Bournemouth in favour of teenager Oliver Skipp. One player who will almost certainly start is Christian Eriksen, who scored the fourth goal against Everton despite operating from a slightly deeper position than usual. The Denmark international’s contract is due to expire in 2020, with negotiations ongoing.

Pochettino said: “The decision is going to happen, at the end of the season, or another decision is going to happen in the next few days, in January … I hope we are going to keep the best decision for the club, hope that the player can take the best decision for them and for their future and the club.”