Stielike has revitalised South Korea since taking over in late September following the resignation of Hong Myung-bo, injecting a much-needed dose of confidence in a young side that were totally overwhelmed at the World Cup in Brazil.
Lee, who won 127 caps in a career that also included spells at PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham Hotspur, was part of the Korean side that finished third at the Asian Cup four years ago in Qatar, a team he believes was one of the nation's best ever.
"I think in 2011 in Qatar at the Asian Cup our team was fantastic," Lee told the Asian Football Confederation's website.
"Individually this team I can't say is better than 2011, but they're still strong. We can reach the semi-finals, but I don't know if we can go further than that."
The South Koreans went through the 2011 competition unbeaten in normal play, suffering a penalty shootout defeat to arch-rivals Japan in the semi-finals before beating Uzbekistan in the third place playoff game.
"It was a great pity because we had one of the best teams in Korean history," he added.
Lee said Stielike, who won three German and Spanish league titles playing for Borussia Monchengladbach and Real Madrid, was determined to bring back the swagger to South Korea.
"He told us he would try to change the mentality because some of the players are too shy on the pitch," said Lee, who now works as a television commentator in South Korea.
"He has asked them to become stronger and more confident, and if we do that then we can go on to be much better than before.
"But it's going to take more than a few months, we will need more than one year. I believe we can show something different at the end of the year."
South Korea, who won the last of their two Asian Cup titles in 1960, kick off their 2015 campaign on Saturday against Oman. They also face hosts Australia and Kuwait in the group stage.
(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
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