Tottenham still to prove Premier League title credentials - Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino admitted Tottenham is "still a question mark" in the context of the Premier League title race.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino

Tottenham deserve to be second in the Premier League but is yet to prove themselves to be a credible title threat, according to Mauricio Pochettino.

Spurs leapfrogged Manchester City into second with a 5-0 hammering of Bournemouth at Wembley Stadium on Boxing Day.

It was its fifth league win in succession and has kept them within six points of leaders Liverpool in a title race transformed by City's shock losses against Crystal Palace and Leicester City.

Tottenham had lost two of five fixtures prior to their impressive recent run and it is that consistency of results which Pochettino views as essential to upsetting the favourites.

"We are in a very good position. I think we are in a position that the team deserves to be," Pochettino told a news conference.

"But another thing is to be a real contender at the end of the season. We need to show that we can be consistent throughout the whole of the season.

"I think Manchester City have shown in the past they can be real contenders because they won the last Premier League, and of course Liverpool make an unbelievable investment and they are doing well and they are at the top of the table.

"Of course, I think these two teams are more realistic [to be] thinking at the end of the season that they are going to be contenders.

"We are there because we have the belief and we are working so hard and of course we have the quality. If not, it's so difficult to be in the position we are today.

"We are still a question mark. If we are capable of being consistent for the whole season like the first half of the season, then we can talk about fighting for big things."

Tottenham are back in action against ninth-placed Wolves at Wembley on Saturday.

Pochettino said Dele Alli, who missed the Bournemouth match with a hamstring problem, is eager to return but needs to pass a fitness test on Friday.

"That is a very good signal, that all the players want to be involved," he added. "That increases the level, the competitive level in the squad and for sure helps to get good results."