France must release the handbrake and step on the accelerator if they are to stand a chance in their next match against a free-scoring Dutch side, defender William Gallas said today.

The World Cup runners-up hardly created an opportunity in a dismal draw with Romania in their opening match yesterday and must now take on Netherlands, who started off with a brilliant 3-0 win over world champions Italy.

"It wasn't easy against a compact Romania side who didn't allow us any space but it's true that we should have played faster," Gallas told reporters at France's Swiss base.

France have relied chiefly on a cast-iron defence ever since their 1998 World Cup triumph but Gallas said they needed to show more initiative upfront in their bid to survive the toughest group in the competition.

"We played with the handbrake on," Gallas said. "Maybe we must change our playing style and opt for a quick passing game to destabilise our opponents.

"It's important to defend well and not to concede any goals but we must accelerate a bit. We need points, we need to win and to do that we need to take more risks."

At least the Dutch, France's next opponents on Friday in Berne, will not play with ten men behind the ball, Gallas said.

"We know the Dutch, we know they like to attack and that means there should be more opportunities for us than against the Romanians, who were clearly looking for a draw," he said.

Gallas said he was surprised to hear the French fans boo when the players walked off the Letzigrund pitch after the dullest match so far in the tournament.

"I'm no longer used to hearing fans jeer their team after a draw," said the Arsenal captain. "To me it's impossible to understand.

"Of course we would have preferred to win but we haven't lost yet and shouldn't be too worried," he added.

"We know France are a team who play better and better as tournaments go on," Gallas said, notably referring to their campaign in Germany, where they recovered from a slow start to reach the final.

"There's no need to panic."