Eh to be fair Roth was pretty much outsmarting Mike most of the film snd the events before the film shown. Let’s be honest he didn’t have the power Mike had and still went toe to toe with him. He nearly took him down and if it wasn’t by a stroke of luck Mike would’ve been dead. Sure Mike ended up beating Roth but at what cost? Fredo was dead, Frankie who was a well respected loyal capo who ran the NY Corleone operation was gone, Rocco who rose through the ranks to be a top capo was also gone. Mike suffered a huge beating at the hands of Roth. Part of it is as his own fault like Fredo and Kay but there is no doubt that Roth had a big impact on Mike.
No doubt about it: Roth did outsmart Michael for most of the movie, and Michael's "victory" cost him dearly. He paid in misery for the rest of his years. That's the :story of Michael's life: constantly winning battles and losing wars.
