The Everton chief sees his side top of the Barclays Premier League ahead of tomorrow's trip to Reading, with one of the smallest, and least changed squads, in the division.

Everton made a mockery of Tottenham's expensively re-built outfit in winning at White Hart Lane on Monday, achieving their second straight victory of the season with not one new player in the starting line-up.

Moyes, who is bringing in Benfica's Manuel Fernandes and is likely to bid for Ayegbeni Yakubu from Middlesbrough, still accepts that he has few options in a hugely committed and organised outfit.

Moyes said: "Sometimes managers do give themselves too many decisions to make and we tend to work with a smaller squad because it suits us. But that is partly down to the finances here.

"But we are looking to have a 65-game season with good cup runs and in the UEFA Cup, so we are going to need more players. And that is why we are trying to improve in that way.

"The chairman here, Bill Kenwright, has done everything in his power to get us higher up the table with cash to buy. They are continuing to try to do that now.

"We do want to break into that top four, we did it once. We don't want the same top four every season, but then 10 years ago you would not have thought of Chelsea as a top four club.

"Money came along to help them, and we are always trying to do that. We got into the top four two seasons ago, can we do it again? I don't know myself, look at West Ham, Spurs, Portsmouth, who are all spending money to try to do the same thing."

He added: "There is no guarantee how any of them, or ourselves, will do. We must just wait and see.

"Maybe the gap has closed, but sometimes you spend money and it works, sometimes not.

"People say spending makes it happen, it might do. But then again it might not, but there is no guarantee to it.

"There's more teams trying to get into the top six and feeling that is the way forward and they must try to do something about it. The money coming into the game has made it easier, some clubs have new owners which has freed up some money from the banks.

"This season is different from any other. There is a wash of money around and most people have spent it."

And, although delighted with the start his under-rated but effective side has made, Moyes is quick to play down expectation.

He said: "It has been a good start but we won't get giddy on winning two games.

"People seem to ask what we have done differently because we have won a couple of games, but nothing much really. We always try to do the right things, sometimes that doesn't always get you results.

"Then you start asking what is needed to put things right, when really you should just keep doing the right things as usual.

"My players have been setting standards for themselves for a long time, over the last four years or so it has gradually been creeping up.

"You don't get half a dozen big new signings and a massive big jump, gradual improvement is what we have had and maybe some people have not noticed it. But I have.

"But you look at the Premier League and what has been happening this summer and you can see so much money being spent. That is why I must temper my own feelings of expectation and hope we continue the way we are.

"I do not want to lump any more expectation on the players than they have to contend with at the moment."

Moyes has defender Joseph Yobo struggling with a groin injury, but although Leighton Baines is in training now after a hamstring problem, he will not be involved at Reading.