Buoyant Van Basten piles pressure on France
The stunning 3-0 victory over world champions Italy in their opening game has taken some of the heat off the Dutch ahead of their last two pool matches.
“We have already beaten Italy, so our position is different now,” said the former AC Milan striker.
“If one team has to attack tomorrow, it is France and not Holland. We have in our mentality a desire to go forward, but maybe we can take the middle ground.
“But we know France are serious opponents. They have a lot of experience and it will be a tough game.”
Van Basten revealed left-winger Arjen Robben would be available after missing the victory over Italy with a groin injury. But whether the Real Madrid flyer can force his way into a winning team is another question.
“It won’t be easy but it is a nice problem to have. In the coming weeks, I hope I have more of these nice problems,” Van Basten said.
“He’s not only ready for Romania but also for France. He has been good in training and he is fit.”
Meanwhile, French striker Thierry Henry and midfielder Patrick Vieira are both fit and expected to return. Both missed Monday’s 0-0 draw with Romania but could replace Nicolas Anelka and Jeremy Toulalan in Berne.
France coach Raymond Domenech, who has a full squad to select from, has revealed he is considering making up to four changes, with full-backs Eric Abidal and Willy Sagnol also under threat. But Domenech is unlikely to alter the conservative approach he adopted against Romania.
“The idea is not to be seductive but to play better, to evolve,” he said. “The objective is not to play a brilliant opening game and then have to pick yourselves off the floor in the next one. It is in the interests of team balance.
“I don’t think I’ve used the word caution since the beginning of the competition. Rather it is security and responsibility in each position.”
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