France must wake up to survive Dutch class

France need to wake up from a dismal start to avoid being overrun by a confident Dutch side in their second Euro 2008 game on Friday in Berne.

• While Netherlands opened their Group C campaign with a 3-0 demolition of world champions Italy with a fluency as potent as the total football they invented in the 1970s, France had just one shot on target in a dull 0-0 draw with Romania.
• The 2006 World Cup runners-up, who share Italy’s tactical, defensive approach, desperately need a touch of flair to avoid suffering the same fate as their Latin rivals.
• “Maybe we must change our playing style and opt for a quick passing game to destabilise our opponents,” France defender William Gallas told reporters.
• “It’s important to defend well and not to concede any goals but we must accelerate a bit,” he added. “We need points, we need to win and to do that we need to take more risks.”
• A draw would place France in an uncomfortable situation before facing Italy in their final group game while a defeat would leave them on the verge of an embarrassing early exit.
• The Dutch, by contrast, just have to repeat their performance against Italy to make sure of a place in the quarter-finals.
• NOWHERE YET
• They realise, however, that they are nowhere yet.
• “It was a great result and the fans may celebrate but we still have nothing,” Wesley Sneijder, who scored a splendid goal against Italy, told reporters. “Our goal still is to reach and win the final and therefore we need to stay calm.”
• France are hoping to welcome back captain Patrick Vieira and striker Thierry Henry, who missed the match against Romania with thigh injuries.
• Midfield inspiration Vieira and Henry, France’s all-time top scorer with 44 goals from 100 internationals, played in a training match against a Swiss regional youth side on Wednesday and could be in the starting lineup.
• Coach Marco van Basten has no reason to make any changes to a side who gave him an almost perfect performance against Italy.
• The match with France comes too early for winger Arjen Robben, who is recovering from a groin injury, while defender Mario Melchiot is still struggling with his fitness.
• “My choices will consider the next opponents and also the fitness and form of my players but after the way we played against Italy it is all a very comfortable situation,” Van Basten told reporters.