Former Everton winger Pat Nevin said on BBC Radio 5 Live that Dyche’s side “looked miles away from it, not a lack of effort but a lack of quality”.
And ex-Toffees defender Martin Keown said their next Premier League game at home to Bournemouth is a “must-win”, adding: “Sean Dyche is under real pressure.”
Keown also questioned: “Can he buy players between now and then?”
But when asked, Dyche added: “It’s a weird thing in football when people say: ‘Why don’t you go out and buy someone?’ I’m like: ‘What do you mean? There is no money.’
“It’s as if, as a manager, I don’t want to buy anyone. It’s not that I am a manager wanting to keep the money here. Unless someone tells me something different, this is what we’ve got.”
Everton next face Doncaster in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday before hosting Bournemouth.
Dyche said he was down to 14 first-team players before visiting Spurs and does not expect many of those to return before the September international break.
He has urged his team to fight on in difficult circumstances.
“People have been saying is it the ownership, the points [deduction], the injuries, this and that and all the rest of it but we’ve still found our way,” he said.
“And that’s why it is important to stay focused. There’s so much noise and stories every day around Everton and it is tough. It’s not very often about the football. We’ve done it since I’ve been here and we have got to start again.”