Inter enjoyed a dominant period of success from 2006 to 2010, winning five successive Serie A titles, and culminating in an historic treble-winning season under Jose Mourinho.
They also won the Coppa Italia twice in that period, claimed the Supercoppa Italiana on three occasions and also triumphed in FIFA's Club World Cup.
"A radical revolution is always complicated," Lucio told fcinternews.it.
"You have to be wise and know where to go, and Inter did not do things right. They sold Maicon, Julio Cesar, (Samuel) Eto'o and me, all the protagonists of a winning cycle, which went ahead again in 2011 and won the Coppa Italia.
"To suddenly get rid of people who had a positive influence on the club and bring in new ones has been controversial. A winning team isn't built over one day and night.
"The climb is hard. Most of the big European clubs are based on a core of players. For me, the great revolutions don't work. You can't turn wine into water.
"It'll take a long time for Inter to find the right combination and get back to being a great team."
